(From the Archive)
By Alison Murtagh, Swimming World College Intern
Like most athletes, I began competing at a young age. However, my “competition” consisted of swimming 12 yards of freestyle with a noodle around my waist, and a swim cap pulled down so far it almost covered my eyes. Cheered on by the coaches of the local summer league team, I swam my heart out and always finished with a smile—I didn’t have a care in the world about where I placed in the heat or what the clock said. Little did I know, my time as a Thompson Tiger would leave a lasting impression on my life as one of my favorite childhood experiences.
I look back fondly on the late summer nights spent at the pool with my summer league team, doing “crazy jumps” off the blocks and begging my mom to stay for another five minutes. I remember anxiously waiting for my coach, dipping my toes in the water and chatting away with teammates. Summer league helped to foster my love for the sport of swimming, and it taught me what it means to be a teammate.
Summer league is frequently overlooked. Sure, kids only swim 25s or 50s, and maybe even the occasional 100. The times are often unofficial and student coaches are in charge of entering their swimmers in events. What onlookers don’t realize is what’s going on behind the scenes.
The cheers. The high-fives and secret hand shakes. The forts constructed between races and the slushes consumed seconds before the whistle. “Eat my bubbles” written in permanent marker across the backs of swimmers running up and down the pool deck, and young coaches struggling to wrangle the next heat.
Summer league is a time to swim simply because you love it. The team atmosphere creates a sense of family where every swimmer can be him or herself. Cheering for teammates, eating pasta out of Tupperware containers before meets, and swimming new events is what summer teams are all about. Competitors don’t take themselves too seriously, but instead thrive off the friendly competition and the adrenaline of racing. Once the race is over, any negative thoughts are left in the pool, only to be replaced by cookies and team songs.
Photo Courtesy: Alison Murtagh
Flash forward 10 years. I am at my first college conference meet. My race is in minutes. Standing in the ready room, I wonder why I still swim every day. Is it really worth getting up at 6 a.m. to dive into a cold pool? I put my headphones on, and “The Eye of the Tiger” begins to resonate through my head.
The song transports me back to the days of summer league—where swimming was for fun, and what the clock said didn’t matter. “The Eye of the Tiger” would blare through the speakers as swimmers danced behind the blocks instead of warming up. Every race was finished with a smile and a thumbs-up to my parents and coaches.
What changed?
Often, as swimmers mature, they lose track of what made them fall in love with the sport to begin with. They become engulfed by a monotonous routine of school and swimming. As they walk onto the pool deck for the second time that day, their thoughts are consumed by what the upcoming practice will hold and how much time is left before they can go back to bed. What happened to the cheers and the crazy jumps? The dancing behind the blocks, and the smiles at the end of every race?
During moments like these, it is important to realize why you started. Swimmers dedicate more time to their sport than most other athletes. Missing one day of practice will set you back three, and vacations are a mystical concept.
Summer league introduced me to my love for swimming. Spending time in the water never fails to calm my anxiety, and allows my thoughts to flow freely. Teammates are like family; everyone is supportive. I did not join the swim community for the times or the awards. I swam solely for the love of the sport.
Now, when I doubt whether or not I should continue waking up every day to jump into a cold pool, I remember jumping up and down waiting to dive in for summer league practice. I remember the feeling of not caring about my times or how well I placed, but instead priding myself on just finishing each race. I remind myself of the summer days when I didn’t take myself so seriously, and I would dance behind the lane to get the nerves out.
So, as I prepared for my first collegiate championship, I looked back on the little girl with the oversized goggles and swim cap, begging her mom to allow her to plunge into the pool. I remembered what it was like to swim my heart out and not have another care in the world. And, as I dove in for my race, I was once again the girl with the noodle, simply enjoying every second of my time in the water and not having a care in the world.
Sometimes, we all need to take ourselves a little less seriously and remember the lessons of summer league.
Nice article! Thanks Alison!
Great Article!
Great article. Got my start in both swimming and coaching with a summer league team. It’s a great reminder to year round athletes to go back to “why” especially when times get tough and the doubt starts to creep in.
OMG YES!!! This!!! THANK YOU for this story!!! I have swam all my life at all levels. And I’ve coached club, been an age group coach, high school coach AND Summer league coach. This.is.spot.on.
Great read! Brings back memories of when I swam in summer league and my children…..looking forward to the day my grandchildren are involved in summer league swimming!
Love, love, love this article! This will be EmmaGrace’s third year as a Coles Croc. She looks so forward to starting the summer season and gets so excited she can hardly wait. I hope and pray she never forgets this excitement and her love for the sport!
Thank you for this. It is spot on! A perfect description of my childhood.
And it hasn’t changed in 40 years! My kids had the same experiences that I did as a child, playing cards, hijinks, the lifeguards … So lucky if you had a magical summer swim experience!
Beautiful words