By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern
My second year of college swimming is just ending and I wanted to look back and reflect on what sets sophomore year apart from first year. Though I am not ready to accept that I am halfway through my college career, I have been reflecting on all the benefits I have received from my sport up to this point. While some people find that sophomore year leads to a “slump” in athletic and academic performance, there are many reasons why the second year of swimming is superior to the first.
1. Dual meets are more fun.
When you are in your first year of collegiate swimming, everything is new and this provides the expected feelings of excitement but also the challenge of performing well while adapting to entirely new environments. The pools are unfamiliar, the meets are run in a weird order. I had to make the switch from racing outdoors to indoors, from events spread out over three days to events crammed into three hours. As a sophomore, you arrive at meets already knowing the warmest spots on deck and the best lanes to warm up in. Not only does this make meets less stressful, it also leads to more success in the pool.
2. You know all the cheers.
You were once the little first year enthusiastically mumbling along to the chants to which you were just learning the words. Now you’ve had two whole years to perfect your cheering technique right down to coordinated splashing (Smith College has a splash cheer). Cheering really helps to pump up the whole team even as we are about to compete alone. Cheering and demonstrating team pride are some of the best moments at our big meets.
3. Gear.
By the time you are sophomore, you have amassed more team gear than you know what to do with. Half of your closet is taken up by shirts and jackets sporting the team mascot and you are recognized by your teammates around campus simply by the fact that everything you wear says “swimming and diving” somewhere on it. At Smith we have a custom where seniors will their gear to underclassmen at the end of the year to pass traditions from class to class. Combine this with meet shirts and I’m not sure I ever need to buy clothing again!
4. Being an advisor.
One of the best parts of being a sophomore is having the first years look up to you for advice and encouragement. They look to you because you have had more experience in college than they have but it wasn’t that long ago that you were just like them. You can give them all the tips and tricks to succeed in college swimming, and also help them know what classes to take. Being a resource for first years is a great way to give back and share of your hard-earned knowledge from your first baby steps on campus.
5. Friends on other teams.
By far the best part about being a sophomore is the friends on other teams that you now have. When you were a first year, everyone was unfamiliar, but now as a sophomore with a season of meets under your belt, you look forward to competition because it means seeing friends from other teams. Getting together after competing for social camaraderie is one of the highlights of our meets. Put all these things together, and sophomore year is a truly amazing experience.