Mother’s Day Celebration: An Ode to Swim Moms (Includes Team USA Videos)
Here’s an ode to Swim Moms, among the unsung heroes of the world.
It’s race day. The team cheer was energizing, yet you still feel like something is missing. You scan the densely packed stands: it is full of familiar faces, though none stand out. Then a voice pierces through the roaring crowd. It is your mother. She waves as she calls your name, joyfully wearing your team’s colors. As she sits with her fellow swim moms, she texts you – almost as eager as you are – to find out your events. You smile. It is going to be another exciting meet.
As another Mother’s Day comes and goes, it is paramount that we, the swimmers, thank our swim moms for their incredible contributions to our success. But where to start?
Perhaps at the very beginning, when they took us to our first swim lessons. How innocent we were then, oblivious to the bigger picture. But they always knew what we would learn in the pool then would be impactful now. Regardless of what shape our journeys took, they knew the value of a strong foundation.
Or maybe we should look to the days of our first club practices, our first meets and our first trophies. When we were still learning the butterfly from the breaststroke, our swim moms drove us day after day to practice. They made sure our races were clearly written on our arms and had snacks at the ready for our inevitable hunger.
Photo Courtesy: David Whirlow
And what of our high school years? Through new trials and tribulations, our swim moms kept us grounded with sage advice, helping us rise even when we wished to sleep through those early morning practices. They studied nutritionists so they could cook the most beneficial meals, and they continued to tirelessly drive us to practice until we learned how to drive.
Even as we set out on our own to begin our college journeys, our swim moms stayed ever faithful; no distance was too long to travel to see us swim, and we were always welcomed home with warm hugs and kisses.
It must be noted that even the greatest athletes this sport has ever seen owe their mothers a great deal of gratitude. Several familiar Olympians publicly thank their mothers in this video compiled by USA swimming:
There may be no moment that warrants greater gratitude over another, but this should prove that without the unconditional love and support of our swim moms, our journeys as swimmers and as people would be very different.
So thank you, mom, for all you have done and all you continue to do.
How do you express gratitude to your swim mom?
-All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.