The Changing Thoughts of a Swimmer From the Beginning to End of the Season
From the beginning of a season to the end, the mindset of a swimmer changes. It’s no secret that that one’s mindset shifts in a variety of ways, and what that looks like is different for every swimmer. Here’s a look at a compilation of swimmer thoughts to compare and contrast at the start of the season and at the end of the season.
First Practice
● “Wow I almost forgot where the pool is?”
● “It feels so good to be back!”
● “Time to start the countdown to champs.”
● “What are my goals and motivators going to be?”
● “Ah, the smell of chlorine. ”
● “Ow, I forgot how tight these suits are.”
● “Did they turn the temperature of the water down in this pool? It’s freezing!”
● “Warmup done. That wasn’t so bad.”
● “That’s the main set? Easy! Let’s go team!”
● “CRAMP CRAMP CRAMP….it’s okay, swim through the pain, swim through the pain…”
● “If they touch my feet one more time…”
● “What lap am I on again?”
● “This season I’m going to do every lap of cooldown, I swear it.”
● “Time to drag myself out of the pool.”
● “Ah the nice warm shower.”
● “Time to refuel and re-energize with something nice and healthy…maybe a salad….what about protein?”
● “So glad to be back on the grind! We’re getting after it this season.”
Last Practice
● “Another day, another practice…I’d rather be anywhere but here….”
● “At least it’s almost over…”
● “Here comes the cold water…”
● “Wow, my suit has gotten loose”
● “More brackets? Really coach? I thought this was supposed to be taper!”
● “*Replays the same song in their head over and over?”
● “What lap am I on again?”
● “Geez I really thought I would get better about that by the end of the season.”
● “If we left on the :35, that means we leave again on the :42, and then on the :10 after that…”
● “Wow champs really is not that far away. That means it’s almost time to cram myself into a techsuit five sizes too small…”
● “Stop touching my feet! Every dang time!”
● “Huh, that went by a lot quicker than I thought it would.”
● “So if it’s a 500 cooldown I can get away with a 300, maybe a 350, before coach notices…”
● “What should I eat after this is over? Oh, right, everything.”
● “Part of me is going to miss this, but part of me definitely is NOT.”
Whatever your outlook on a season, just remember that the important thing is always to have fun and make yourself happy. These thoughts listed above do not encompass every swimmer’s mindset throughout a season. Some people’s mindsets never waver. Some people experience a different change. As long as the thoughts you’re having are helping you excel in the pool and meet your goals, that’s all that counts.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.