The Transition From High School to College Swimming: The Big Jump
By Evangelia Vasilakis, Swimming World College Intern
When getting ready to graduate from high school to college, swimmers face an inevitable transition period. They have to relearn their daily routines and adjust to a new team and environment. This transition is important and fundamental for all college swimmers. Learning how to prepare and what to expect is something that is not always talked about. Here is my advice for anyone going into this special period of their lives.
Take a Deep Breath!
First and foremost, take a deep breath, and a sigh of relief. You committed! You’re now going to a college team and I am sure they are excited to have you. This deep breath is refreshing and will help you after the stresses of the commitment process and most likely your championship season.
Your Gear
Have your gear ready. No need to buy all the new equipment! Most of the time, the school will provide you with new equipment. But no need to worry. If you prefer your brand, most coaches will allow you to wear and use it. I always packed all my gear in my pool bag for easy transportation to school when moving in. This made it so much easier to find in the mess of moving in. It also made it easy to bring all of it to the locker room.
Talk to Other Recruits
Reaching out to the other recruits made the transition so much easier for me. We all had a group chat and got to know each other before we moved in. This makes it so you can pick roommates and have some familiarity when you go to school. It is always good to know your class when going into school.
Schedule Adjustments
Moving into school is a huge adjustment. Maybe you’re not used to morning practices or maybe it’s all you know. Regardless, it is important to know your schedule is going to be entirely different. Between classes, practices, lifting sessions and meets, you will have fun but it may be stressful. Just remember that it will all be worth it!
New Environment
Overall, it is a new environment. New coaches, new pool and new teammates. This is stressful at first but it will end up being so much fun. You will grow to love your new environment and treat it like home. These new teammates will be family and they will have your back. Get close to your teammates and your coaches. They will be the ones to guide you through the next four years.
Listen to Your New Coach
They will have a new perspective on your swimming. They may see something that your other coaches did not. It will benefit you to listen and take all their advice. They know exactly what to look for in the college swimming world. Trust their process and see where it can take you!
The next four years will be the best years of your life. Swim your heart out, make friends, and most importantly have fun! As long as you’re having fun, the times will come. Stressing out over the littlest things will affect even the strongest person negatively. Always believe in yourself. You can either be your biggest enemy or ally. Remember you will have so many resources to help you throughout this time, and you will never be alone. So good luck to all you future college swimmers! I believe in all of you!
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
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