A Swimmer Is Worth More Than A Time
Swimming is a sport focused on times. We watch the Olympics and see all the fast times that swimmers achieve. Deep down, we all wish to be as fast as those stars of the sport, or even just reach a championship cut. At the end of the day, many can’t remember how many championship cuts they earned, but can easily recall the amazing memories that came from their swimming years. On my team, we share many memories, especially laughs and social kicking (even though coach was never a fan). Every swimmer will learn that swimming is more than a time you swam.
With swimmers constantly being around the pool, you begin to get to know your teammates more. You learn to share the excitement of taper week, suffer together through tough practices, and laugh about the good memories at both practice and meets. Friends from swimming can turn into lifelong friends, especially if you grew up from a young age together. As a swimmer myself, I can remember the countless laughs during drylands or the times we all arrived early to play soccer before practice. When I reflect on my best memories of swimming, my times never seem to come to mind, except for those races where your friends cheered you on.
I’ll argue there is no other sport that requires dedication quite like swimming. Many people could never fathom waking up at 5:00 a.m. Swimmers learn valuable skills that stick with them for the rest of their life. Not many people learn – at a young age – how to balance schoolwork with swimming, extracurriculars, friends, family, and self-care time. Many swimmers exhibit time management that takes years for others to figure out. Talk about perseverance through hard times. Every swimmer has swam a race, touching the wall to look up and realize that their time wasn’t quite what they hoped for. Without perseverance, many would quit, as they felt like a failure. Perseverance is pushing through a subpar test score or a tough day at work. Swimmers learn that just from sports only.
If you have been around the pool deck when Masters Swimming takes place, you know that swimming is a lifelong sport. If you talk to most of them, they will tell you that it is the best exercise regardless of age. From my own experience, we have somebody who is nearly 90 years old who continues to swim Masters on a daily basis. Swimming shows more than just physical benefits, as there is a positive mental release that comes with it. People tend to overlook such things. Swimming leaves you with the best form of exercise, despite the times you may swim.
The memories that come from swimming are endless. People fail to realize this when that time pops up on the scoreboard and it doesn’t sit well. Think about the overwhelming support of your teammates, parents, and coaches. It should ease your mind to know you are important, despite the time you swim. As swimmers, we place our value upon a time when it is far from the most-important aspect of the sport. Remember your friends, the lifelong memories and the chance to swim for a lifetime.
Remember that you are more than a time.
That is so well written. I am 75yrs old now and have been swimming for most of my life. Swimming at school level and then in Masters, swimming has given me a chance to travel to compete in many local galas, open water swims and World masters and I have made life long special swimming friends’