5 Swimming Things to Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving
By Mauro Pacsi, Swimming World College Intern
In just one week, swimmers and their families will be gathering to have their biggest feast all year. Of course, they will celebrate a holiday where giving thanks is routine, Thanksgiving. Even though this year has been distressing and filled with unrest, there are things to be thankful for. While these things may not affect everyone the same way, they all make our lives a little bit sweeter in these challenging times. Here are a few things that I think swimmers will be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Your Coach
Your coach has been by your side in the journey that is your swimming career. They have seen you at your highs and lows and enjoy pushing you to your limits every day. Former coaches that have helped you throughout your experience will continue to support you as you grow as well. Make sure that you reach out and thank your coach for everything they have done for you. They may just let you off easy in your next practice!
Practice & Pool Time
Being able to practice at any pool in this pandemic is both a rarity and a privilege. While some teams may be swimming every day on a set schedule, most are struggling to get their swimmers back in the water. Teams could be practicing every other day or even missing the pool for some weeks at a time. Please, treasure any chance you get to practice and swim at any time in the day. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting in at 5 a.m. or 7 p.m. Be thankful that you can dive in at all!
Your Teammates
Your teammates are your friends that go through the same things you face in the pool every time you get in together. You are never alone because you all support each other when things get tough. That support may even carry over from practice into your personal life. Your closest teammates may be your closest friends outside of the pool. You may get together all the time or even go to the same school. No matter what the case may be, remember to reach out to the people you enjoy training with and creating memories with. A teammate at any point of your career is a teammate for life!
The Gym or Dryland
Now if there was any point in time where you couldn’t swim, doing dryland or going to the gym was your savior. Either or these options gave you the chance to exercise and escape whatever was occurring in the world. Be thankful for the tons of dryland workouts you’ve done to keep yourself in shape. Don’t forget the endless amount of free workout videos online as well if you needed them. If you had the chance to go to the gym regularly, be thankful for any barbell or piece of gym equipment that you lifted. Lifting and staying disciplined not only helps your body but also your mind, keeping you alert and ready to smash PB’s!
Your Parents
If it wasn’t obvious, you should thank your parents sitting across the Thanksgiving table from you. They have done everything they possibly could do and more to give you the life that you have now. Replacing them is impossible and you can’t imagine where you would be without them. They too have also been by your side ever since you started to swim. I mean, they were the ones who put you in it in the first place just to be water safe. The countless memories of the drives they made to take you to meets or practice never leave your head either. Reflect on the countless sacrifices they have made just to see you happy. Make sure you do the best you can, for them!
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.