By Katie Lively, Swimming World College Intern
Whether we admit it or not, we all catch ourselves having those thoughts at the end of a disappointing season.
Maybe you spent your whole season at least five seconds off in every event and hoped taper would magically whip you into lifetime best form in three weeks or fewer. Maybe you repeatedly came within tenths or hundredths of a second to your best but never had that big breakthrough you spent the whole season waiting for. Or maybe your training just never felt quite right, but you tried to stay positive and hope for reaffirming final results that never came.
Whatever led up to it, stepping out of the pool after the last race of a subpar year is a painful feeling we all hope to never experience but most inevitably will. After a year of attending multiple practices per day, juggling schoolwork with those multiple practices per day, and sacrificing a social life because as it is you only have time to study during breaks at your swim meets, it’s natural to have a difficult question pop into your head:
Is this really worth it?
I have been swimming competitively for more than 10 years. I won’t pretend I’ve never struggled with this question for days or even weeks after a poor season. Every time, however, I’ve ultimately decided to come back for more. I have yet to regret it.
Why should you give it another year?
1. You’ll come back more motivated than ever.
Photo Courtesy: Brian Jenkins/UVM Athletics
Speaking of unpleasant feelings, a subpar season often brings with it the feeling of letting people down or proving a doubter right. Sometimes that doubter can be yourself. The only way to truly make those feelings go away is to come back next season with a resounding statement.
While you may feel discouraged or unmotivated at the end of one season, you’d be surprised by what great fuel that disappointment makes in the offseason. After seasons that made me want to quit, I have repeatedly surprised myself with how many more practices I have chosen to attend and how much more I have enjoyed the pain those practices have brought.
The one thing that has been consistent following those seasons for me is this: I made a change. That change doesn’t need to be a colossal one like switching teams or radically altering your diet. Just do something to shake up a routine that has probably become somewhat boring and reduced your focus and passion for what you’re doing. Something new to look forward to every day can make your motivation skyrocket.
2. You’ll then enjoy the results more than ever.
Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott
My sophomore year of high school, I went home crying after my district meet because I was by far the slowest member of our 200 free relay team and felt responsible for us finishing two tenths of a second out of first. I initially had no intention of taking the sport too seriously after that, but I talked myself into one more year of hard work.
My junior year, I cried after that race again—only this time it was because I had dropped two seconds from the previous year, started a comeback on the team next to us that my teammate then finished on the next leg, and helped my team to a school record and a first place finish. I remember it vividly to this day. It’s hard to think of a post-race euphoria that matches that.
3. Even if you don’t improve as a swimmer, you’ll improve as a person.
Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers
No matter the results in the pool, the most important reason to come back is that it will make you a better person. Returning to the sport you fell in love with, knowingly taking a tough emotional risk, will make you stronger. It will allow you to prove to yourself and everyone else that you have a fighter instinct that many cannot rightfully claim to have. And it will give you greater compassion for others who are facing a challenge of any sort in their lives.
Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, it really is the right time to throw in the towel (and cap and goggles). I’m not trying to say that there is never a good reason to stop swimming, because that is far from the case with any sport or other activity. A recurring injury, outside family situation, or overwhelming schedule can leave someone with no other feasible choice.
That said, there are usually more reasons to get back in the water than to hang up the suit for good.
Great article! You’ve made some excellent points! As a 57-year-old, I’d like to add that I have continued working out in the pool (albeit not as swiftly or frequently as in my younger days) and I find myself much fitter and healthier than most of my age peers. I credit this in large part to swimming. Our sport has both short and long term benefits.
Lily West thats us 😀