By Julia Cunningham, Swimming World College Intern
Swimming is an expensive sport. If you want to be good, you have to own the latest suit technology, you have to constantly replace broken goggles, you have to travel to get to meets. There is no denying that all of those costs are worth it once you see the scoreboard, but for someone on the outside, it’s a lot harder to see past the bill.
I’ve come up with a short list of swimmer addictions that non-swimmers will never understand…
1. Practice Suits
Photo Courtesy: Courtney Bartholomew
Whenever I need a new suit, I know I need to set aside at least an hour to make my final decision. Recently, Jolyn had a very exciting 20 percent off sale. Even as I sat ready to order, another pattern caught my eye. Twenty minutes later, my mom had to leave the room because I was driving her crazy with my indecision. Two hours later I finally settled on a suit. The worst part? I signed myself up to receive newsletters from all the websites I buy suits from. Whenever there is a sale, I’m back staring at suits for an hour.
2. Racing Suits
Photo Courtesy: Tiffany Elias
Did I mention I love suits? Every time I’m at a meet another team has a suit that I MUST have. Half the time I can’t make up my mind if I even like the new designs Arena and TYR are coming up with. The patterns are the least of my worries, though, between closed-back and regular-back and comfort-strap and regular-strap…there are just too many suits to choose!
3. Goggles
Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports Images
Same problem as suits. Do I always stick with Vanquishers? Do I try something new? Which color should I get? It is an eternal struggle.
4. Tan Lines
I am proud of my one-piece tan lines over the summer. They are a testament to the long hours of training I put in. I love coming back from training trip over winter break and being able to show off the suit strap lines that never seem to go away. Those ESPN Body Issue pictures of Natalie Coughlin? Tan lines on point.
5. Not Shaving
Photo Courtesy: Richard Masoner, Flickr
What other sport has competitions to see how hairy they can get in the span of two months? Are there other sports where you wouldn’t get grossed out when you accidentally brush someone’s hairy leg in practice?
6. Swimming!
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien
No one but a swimmer can ever make much sense of what is happening in the pool. What are those people with the numbers doing? How many laps is a 200? What is the IM? No one will ever understand why we get up before the sun rises to get in the pool…and love doing it.
swimming is expensive?!
Very….
hmmm, maybe depending on where you are swimming…
Very…
I’m a swimmer and it’s nowhere near the expense that triathlon is! What is so expensive about swimming?
I pay no more than $50 for a suit at a time and the Swedish goggles are still only run about $5 a pair.
I think you can make it expensive with a lot of required gear. Some clubs have more expensive water than others also.
The smell of chlorine!
I have to have my kit matching, suit goggles and cap , I have a whole bedroom dedicated to my swim and gym kit ?
Wait, Nutella wasn’t on this list… (Mom to four swimmers)
Still kind of LIVE this….Many swim suits….except I HATE tan line now that I’m older…But loved to show them off at my other events. Chlorine…WOW…you smell it from miles away….then when you gete there…it’s like Nervana.
Always 2 extra towels a day to wash always hungry always drinking milk 2hr journey to compete for 2mins …#swimmum wouldn’t change it for the world Swim kids are beyond dedicated
Francisco Pastrano Antonio VaMe Now do you understand? Goggles!!!!