5 Truths Only Swim Siblings Know
By Kennedy Cutler (Archive)
Navigating college is a daunting task, especially when you’re an athlete. Suddenly you have to balance your own schedule, between classes and study hall, practices and competitions, and somehow still find time to have something of a social life on the side.
I was fortunate enough not only to find myself at the same campus as my older sister when I arrived to Michigan State my freshman year, but to also have her on my team for the first time since she’d graduated high school.
Siblings can be tricky. They can be either your best friend, or your worst enemy – sometimes depending on the time of day. But here are some of the things you may find yourself dealing with if you find yourself sharing the same lane with your sibling.
1. Making Friends
One of the hardest parts about joining a new team is making friends. Having a sibling not only helps you move a little more smoothly into the social sphere surrounding the pool deck, but it also gives you someone to talk to between sets in the mean time. Unlike most of the other freshmen, who likely only remember a few names and faces from recruiting trips nearly a year before, you’ve already been introduced to and acknowledged by your sibling and their friends on the team.
2. Your Own Personal Cheerleader
Whether it’s at a meet, during a hard set, or even during a casual dryland session, your sibling will always be there to cheer you on. They know how to do it – they’ve likely been doing it since you started swimming in your age group years. They, of all people, will want you to succeed, and will do what they can to keep you motivated and push you to be the best you can be. Sometimes it gets obnoxious, but that’s only because they care.
3. Competition
Going right along with cheering you on, they may on occasion be your toughest competitor. You’ve likely been chasing one another up and down the pool for years, constantly going head to head in practices and sometimes even in races. They’re the one you always strive to beat, just as you’re the one they’re always trying to one-up. It’s a constant back and forth, and sometimes it ends in tears, but at the end of the day it makes you both better swimmers.
Photo Courtesy: Michael Zoltowski
4. Being the Shadow
Sometimes you find yourself being compared to your sibling. This applies mostly to those who are the younger sibling on the same team as their older, but sometimes it’s reversed. Perhaps they’ve established themselves by the time you get there, and have done some great thing or other, so now all the coaches see when they look at you is a second version of them. Your sibling doesn’t like it just as much as you don’t. If you find yourself in this position, it may seem difficult to overcome. But once you get out there and show the coaches what you can do, by telling them what your goals are, and by proving just what you are capable of by following your own path, they’ll begin to see that you really are your own person, and that is reflected in your swimming.
5. They’ve Got Your Back
No matter what happens, it’s important to remember that your sibling has your back. When you need a training buddy, they’re there. When you need someone to remind you that you’ve worked your butt off all season and earned your spot, they’re there. And when you need someone to remind you of how proud they are, well. Your sibling will always be there.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Meike Staffeldt das könnten wir sein ?
Elizabeth Dusza Justin Dusza
Sarah Slapak
Logan and Rylee will get this one day.
Nice article
Julia Borlase hehe
Laura Sumner-Dhenin ☺️
When are you coming back?! 🙂
? I know, Brooklins doing golf now it’s a small month 1/2 skills basic teaching it will help her get the basics for our trip to Maui so she can play the Wailea golf courses w Dad and Tutu. We will be there for the end of July through August – for 3 weeks! I need to bring something special for the team. Once golf is over we will head back to the team – I also need to get Walter III into swim lessons.
Christofili Filitsa Chronakos?
Amira Bazzi Jennifer Rodriguez Paula Benton Kleiweg
Trym
Sydney Cutler
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This is so so accurate?
Krissia Michelle Reyes
Rachel Ewart ☺️
Gussie Millar Willa Millar
What a great article. My 5 children all swam at the same high school but 2 boys swam together for 2 years and then 2 boys swam together. I saw these 5 things in all of their relationships.The friends they all swam with were in each other’s weddings and were godparents to each other’s children. Sadly our 3rd son, 4th child dropped dead before he got to swim in the alumni meet with his brother. Go Green!