The Resiliency of a College Swimmer During the Covid Pandemic: A Letter
By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern
Dear Fellow Collegiate Swimmers,
With the surge of Covid-19 cases across the world, everyone must show some resiliency, including collegiate swimmers. As swimmers we know how to work hard, how to push ourselves past boundaries we never expected to exceed, and how to care for our well-being. But it can be hard to maintain dedication and such narrow focuses when our daily lives are shifting and calling us to go day by day, swim by swim.
Throughout the pandemic, a cloud of uncertainty has shrouded the world. For swimmers, this uncertainty quickly extended to our sport in the inability to know when the next time we would be able to practice and to race with our teams. The lack of certainty has taught us to appreciate and cherish every opportunity to race. Whether we hop up onto the blocks at the end of a long, hard practice to race a teammate or go to a big meet, we see every dive into the pool as an opportunity. While it may seem that these opportunities can be hard to come by, we continue to train in hopes of more swims. More opportunities to race. More time bonding with teammates. More time in the water.
Alongside the uncertainty, the pandemic has created an immense mental toll. Continually training for meets that may not happen due to safety protocols has become incredibly draining. With no end in sight, it can be hard to create long-term goals, and even short-term goals. Swimming is a sport that requires ample amounts of perseverance, dedication, and time. With all the hard work swimmers put into their sport every day, it is challenging to continually think about the possibility of their season not coming to fruition. In these moments of mental hardships, it is best to prepare for the worst, hope for the best and take what comes.
A slew of dual meets have been correctly canceled for the safety of the swimmers and the meet volunteers, but it leaves college swimmers wondering about the end of the season. When and will they be able to race again? Can their conference meets be held? What will happen to NCAAs? With all these questions lingering, swimmers continue to dive in the pool and push themselves every day, sometimes twice a day, at practice. Swimming is a sport that requires perseverance and a deep instilment of determination. Therefore, swimmers keep swimming even with the uncertainty of what’s to come during championship season.
By continuing to be diligent, swimmers can foresee the plausible end of season championship meets, but we must continue to be resilient. Keep masking up, keep advocating for booster shots, and keep swimming.
Sincerely,
A Resilient College Swimmer
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.