The 10 Guaranteed Ways to Spot a Swim Parent
Many people have no problem spotting swimmers from a mile away with these telltale features: a bulky bag, messy bun filled with dead hair (for the girls), dry skin, tired eyes, goggle and cap tan lines, and the wide-eyed fear whenever the word “butterfly” is used, no matter the context.
Swim parents, however, can be more difficult to spot. They wear a camouflage much like any other parent, but a few distinct characteristics sets swim parents apart.
1. The Swim Parent T-shirt
Photo Courtesy: Bailey Duran
They can be found anywhere. They are sold at every swim meet and can be found at almost every online swim shop. You know what they look like; the ones stamped with phrases like “I used to have a life, now I have a swimmer” or “Some people wait their entire lives to meet their favorite swimmer – I raised mine.”
Cliché, yes, but what would swim meets be without them? They come in all colors and styles, but they all have something in common: a swimming phrase, joke, or picture that only swim parents can understand. These t-shirts are the first clue that you have successfully spotted a swim parent!
2. The Tight Knuckled Grip on the Heat Sheet
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien
The swim parent holds tightly to the beloved and all-knowing heat sheet. It goes everywhere with them and has multiple uses. It can be used as a fan in the hot weather, a coloring book to keep away nerves, and can be rolled up to hit the other swim parent on the arm in excitement. But most of all, it is used to keep track of their swim kiddos!
3. Snacks, Snacks, and More Snacks!
The swim parent is always loaded with at least two bags of snacks for their ravenous swimmers. Of course, they always have the swimming staples: chocolate milk and honey sticks. They’re constantly keeping their swimmer hydrated and re-fueling them with cutie oranges. They make daily trips during meets to the local store to buy more food and to keep their swimmers swimming at their best, and they’re always experimenting with food to try to discover the next best super-swimmer food!
4. Their Arms are ALWAYS Full
The swim parent enters swim meets loaded down with carrying things. They don’t want their swimmer to waste their energy, so they insist on carrying everything. They have at least two bags on each arm, a cooler and camping chairs. Not to mention all the sharpies and highlighters they carry around!
5. Swimmer Bumper Stickers
Photo Courtesy: Bailey Duran
Their car is decorated with team pride and stickers that announce the vehicle is a “Swim Taxi,” or that there are swimmers on board. More often than not, they have window chalk paint covering the windows on their way to a championship meet boasting that their little caravan is “Zone bound” with their kids’ names and events.
6. Their Houses and Cars are Filled With Suits and Towels (and that Inevitable Chlorine Smell)
Photo Courtesy: Bailey Duran
It is so easy to spot swim parents based on their house or their car. The car most likely smells like chlorine and is filled with empty chocolate milk bottles. During long swim meets, towels and suits are draped across the back seats so they can dry before the next day. Towels, swim suits and Speedo bags litter the floor of their house, and the towels are hanging everywhere.
7. Everything is Planned Around Swim Meets (and Practice)
Photo Courtesy: Kristen Kinzer
Swimmers are known for the famous line: “I can’t, I have practice.” Swim parents also make use of that line. Weekend “mom’s nights out” are no longer a thing for the swim mom, especially during the busy season (pretty much all year). Better wait until that two weeks off in August, Karen!
8. They Know The Name of Most Olympic Swimmers
Missy Franklin’s parents. Photo Courtesy: Evan Pike – USA TODAY Sports Images
Ever have a conversation where Michael Phelps’ name is casually mentioned? Swim parents jump right in, discussing his best races and whether or not he’ll stay retired. They’ll also begin talking about swimmers that no one else knows about. They forget that not everyone knows about Olympic swimmers like they and their swimmers do!
9. They Can Tell You All About Stroke Technique
Photo Courtesy: Kalina DiMarco
Swim parents usually know a lot about stroke technique (probably from all the time spent behind a camera filming us). Even though they may not have been swimmers themselves, they’ve been around swimming long enough and have listened to their swimmer chat long enough to know how each stroke should be swum. Oh, and don’t say “front crawl” when referring to freestyle – it’ll make them cringe!
10. Meet Mobile
Photo Courtesy: Active Network
The last but maybe most effective way to identify a swim parent is to look at their most used apps. More often than not, it’ll be Meet Mobile – one of the best friends of a swim parent. It is probably the best invention since fog resistant goggles, am I right?
Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers
Behind every successful swimmer is a swim parent who loves them enough to help make their dreams come true. Swim parents are the greatest types of parents in existence. They sacrifice so much so their swimmers can chase their dreams and deserve more gratitude than we could ever give them.
Thank you, swim parents, for equipping us to chase our dreams!!
Commentary: All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Sandi Tyson
Carl Hoffman
Yes! I’m a Swim-Mom???♂️?
SO SO SO TRUE!
Yep lol
Corri McKinley Alamein Kim Waldo-LandisKim Lydon Hanson Lisa Orwig Hagedorn
So true?
For sure and proud of it ??
Swim parents can also be insane ?
That’s me with my boy with special needs
Natalie Edwards Rorke ?
Maureen Tom Haleyy
They also can get pretty mean.
That’s no lie …
Yes, yes and yes! 🙂
Tonya Duran Yates
Leza O’Donoghuee
?
number 2,7 &9
4 out of 10, getting there
I’m a swim mom and a swimmer myself! And I suffer a lot al my kids’competitions!
Vicki Deslauriers Roy Cathy Robb Bevier Jen Thibert they forgot the flip flops in the middle of winter!
Absolutely true???
Leisa Clayton ?
Leanne maybe points 7 to 10 apply other than that I may fail as being a swim parent ?
I got 6 covered
Agreed, some of these could be replaced with looking haggard!
Stacy Drake,
Well I definitely have 6 down pat
.
Anyone competing in more than six meets per year needs a new coach. Get off the conga line. Make meets special and get results!
Hahahaha very accurate!
Yvonne Turner we haven’t quite graduated yet as fully pledged swim parents – we need to lift our game ?
Sonia Connery ?the bit about the carrying of all the things in?. No mention of the time keeping expertise requirement or hat tan lines ?.
So true.
Christine Taylor
Cara Borradaile
It was so much fun writing this!! ❤️
LOL ? – So true! Even though We do not decorate our cars in Sweden, all of the rest is pretty much the same. Swimming is so fun, international and great community builder! I myself started swimming at the age of 47 -inspirerad by all the years poolside.. such a great hobby and really never too late to learn a new skill (however ? Will never look great by me ??)
Carolyn Nicholls…..it’s us!!!
June Campbell
Hope we can get back to that soon.
yes!!!
Nikki Perry??
Deborah Poulson Jake Fabi
Malcolm Younger
We can all work a stop watch like it’s our job and most of our apparel is team-related. ?
So true!
Oh and we all know what the phrase “if your feet aren’t wet then you are doing it wrong” means.
Michelle we can relate a lot to article
Deb Taylor Sherri Wallace-Chapman Yvette Blanchard Tammy O’Keefe
You need to read this. It is so true.
Allison Stewart love it ??
?
Definitely some truth to this!
loved every minute of the swim meets … all the way into college be it DIII for one son until their program was abruptly cut in 2020 amidst Covid and then supporting my second son swimming DII – see where Covid takes that and the navigating my high school junior daughter into her college academics/swimming experience…so yes through the years behind every successful swimmer at whatever level is the cheerleader parent …. it has been a great journey!
Vicki Alfeo, Pat Leek, #s 2, 4 & & for me, hahahaha!
Robert Gutierrez and 10 !
Yup, also 7
Actually!
Love it! #Swimmom and proud of it ??♂️??♂️
9 out of 10?
Accurate!
Rachel Hannah Davies I think you need one of those t shirts ?
Rebecca Francis-Davies I have a swansea aquatics officials t-shirt for when I officiate at meets hahaha ??♀️
So true!
Rose Aldan
Kathy Palmer so so true and I really really miss those times. They were the best