35 Reasons to be Thankful You’re a Swimmer
Sometimes, we all need a reminder as to why we are grateful to be swimmers. So when you feel like you’ve reached your absolute limit, here are some reasons why we are thankful for the sport.
1). Everything else in life seems a little bit easier after swimming 6,000 yards before the sun is up.
2). We can eat whatever, whenever. The aforementioned 6,000 yards grants us the right to consume some heavy duty calories.
3). Your teammates become your second family. They can be study partners, a shoulder to cry on, a sounding board, a lunch date, or a roommate.
Photo Courtesy: Emily Thirion
4). You have a free pass to nap as frequently as you want with very little judgement.
5). For two hours a day, you get to check out. The bubble that is the pool is your sanctuary. You have an escape from reality that others do not.
6). There is about six seconds as soon as you dive in where you feel as though you exist outside of time and space. It is silent and you are just gliding. It’s truly one of the best feelings in the world.
7). Oftentimes, you get to see the sun rise and set on the same day from outside the pool doors.
Photo Courtesy: Kirsten Hillsley
8). Who else gets to spend 4+ hours a day with their best friend(s)?
9). We get travel, easily and often. Swimming has given me the chance to see a large portion of our beautiful country.
10). Annual week-long training trip: a free chance to train, snorkel, tan, eat, and hang out with friends at the beach.
11). Taper. Enough said.
12). When you manage to squeeze into a tech suit, you feel like a superhero.
13). Time management and prioritization becomes second nature.
14). Adversity shapes us.
15). Not only do you get to grow and succeed, but you have the chance to watch your teammates mature as well.
16). We live the phrase, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
17). Swimming gives us the opportunity to work with people who have different opinions, backgrounds, and motivations than us. It fosters an environment of respect.
Photo Courtesy: Claire Nobles
18). The swimming community is close-knit and protective of its own.
19). The sport shows us that we are strong and resilient.
20). Swimming has an array of short-term and long-term health benefits. We are fit.
21). We are respectful individuals. We are imbued from an early age with good sportsmanship.
22). Swimmers have a massive support system.
23). Swimming is a sport that allows you to have complete control of how successful you are.
24). We know that we have earned our Thanksgiving dinner.
25). We are provided with the chance to meet individuals who we would not have met otherwise.
26). Swimming does not exist in a vacuum. It teaches us that others’ success is our success. And we can feel inspired by one another’s triumphs.
Photo Courtesy: Miriam Wagner
27). Swimmers are a weird bunch, but we always have each other.
28). When you arrive in a natatorium representing your school, team or country in your gear, you feel a rush of pride.
29). Swimming teaches you to appreciate the value of hard work and to celebrate the little victories.
30). Educational opportunities: the chance to compete at the highest level of the sport while also pursuing a degree.
31). A good work out can turn your whole day around.
32). The endorphins.
33). The standstill of a natatorium at “take your mark.”
34). The moment when your hard work pays off.
35). Lifelong friendships, experiences, and memories.
It can be helpful to remind yourself why you chose the best sport in the world. What are your reasons to be thankful?
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Fully identified with all 35 points, 100 percent swimmer. Chlorine runs through my veins.
When you’re a former competitive swimmer, and approaching 80; your body still works extraordinarily well!