The Pool Is Family: A Special Place In Your Life
If you are a swimmer, you have been in and out of countless pools during your career. You’ve most likely been swimming since you were young. Basically, you have probably swam enough miles that could stretch around the planet. Twice. The pool deck has been a familiar place your whole life. It’s where you spend every afternoon after school, sacrifice weekends for swim meets, and develop close-knit relationships with some of your best friends.
It is mind-boggling how much time we spend underwater. So much so, that we should almost be classified as an aquatic animal. The pool has seen the worst of us. The time we spend in the pool places our bodies through insurmountable physical and mental pain. But this object, this hole in the ground, with thousands of gallons of water, is a place we can all call our sanctuary.
It’s what you know best. It’s your home. Your family.
Devoting Time
It is reported that the average competitive swimmer swims nearly 1,000 hours a year. That is likely more time than you spend with your family, more hours than you go to school, and frankly more time than you spend doing any other activity. This time investment can cost you summer vacations, Thanksgiving, and Christmas breaks. You are constantly training hard.
Having Protection
The pool allows you to think and take a break from the outside world. You learn a lot of strategies for self-meditation and growth. You feel protected from societal pressures. Your focus is strictly on the pool. Nothing else. It gives you peace and protection.
Learning About Self
Throughout your swimming career, you can learn self-determination. Similarly, you can set your goals and you can attain them. Swimming allows you to stay focused and structured. You learn how to deal with the lows and highs of this sport. Therefore, your self-determination can increase exponentially. In other words, you learn about self and how to get through tough times.
Building Relationships
This pool that we see practically every day is our family. Moreover, you build lasting relationships with your teammates, and this brings the most joy out of swimming. Most people are broken down, from years of jumping into cold pools and enduring insanely hard sets. But, having teammates, you can do it together. Your teammates are right there beside you the whole time, which makes it so much more bearable. You push through like a family.
Sharing Good Times
You share laughs. You acknowledge and show concern for each other. This gives you the satisfaction of knowing that you are getting through life and ‘swim’ together as a family. You help each other and you do this by establishing loyalty and being there for one another, while embracing fellowship and camaraderie. You push each other to be better and better through the way you train.
Henceforth, you build your life through the pool. Ultimately, it’s your family.