By Claire Alongi, Swimming World College Intern.
Before college graduates are set free into the world, they have to sit through a commencement speech. To commence means to begin – a fitting name for the speech given at college graduations which signifies the end of undergraduate or graduate education yet the beginning of a new chapter. Commencement addresses traditionally impart some broad life advice, deviating slightly depending on the speaker’s angle.
While these speeches are meant to impart life advice to a wide audience, much of what is said can be pared down to be swimming wisdom. From the silly to the serious, let’s take a look at excerpts from commencement speeches past and present to see what kind of takeaway swimmers might find in these speeches for the masses.
Tim Cook at Tulane University (2019)
“There’s a saying that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. At Apple, I learned that’s a total crock. You’ll work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands.”
Swimming is as grueling a sport as you can find. As you improve the sets just get harder, the hours longer, and the chlorine continues to seep out of every pore. Even the most devoted to the sport will have days where it just feels like too much – too much effort, too much pain. But then you’ll also get stronger, and while something harder will always loom on the horizon, you will master other things along the way. Cook’s advice about “the tools getting lighter” is something every swimmer can take to heart. In this case, tools might look like technique or mental toughness and being knowledgeable of the limits of your body.
Bill Nye at Goucher College (2019)
“Now, when it comes to changing the world, don’t be scared. Don’t freak out. When you have to perform doing anything … you might be nervous. You might be scared, and that fear can stop you cold. But don’t let it. As we say in the theater and on television, take that fear and turn it into excitement … Take a chance. Make a difference … Turn your fear into excitement and change the world.”
The moments between when the official says take your mark and the high-pitched beep of the starter never get less intense. It can make you freeze up and second-guess yourself. But Nye’s advice to “turn your fear into excitement” is as simple as it is groundbreaking. Instead of thinking of all the things that could go wrong, channel that nervous energy into something positive. Imagine it fueling you as you cut through the water. Easier said than done, but it’s still a good way to shift your mental focus.
John Krasinski at Brown University (2019)
“One of the best decisions I made in my life was just to lean all the way in … People ask me how I got into acting, and the truth is, I didn’t get into acting. I got into everything … For the next four years, I wanted to be part of it all. I formed a new way of thinking. A new way of executing those thoughts. I left my comfort zone and then stayed there, and left again. I experienced firsthand the powerful shift in doing something out of love, rather than necessity.”
This advice about “leaning in” can be as much about swimming as it can be about balancing swimming with the rest of life. For lack of a better term, the world of swimming can be a bit of a bubble. Routines are established, and as much as you might loathe the concept of waking up at 5 a.m. for that morning practice, there’s a kind of comfort and camaraderie in the routine. Krasinski’s advice to “lean in” to things can be a reminder to swimmers that things happen outside the comfort zone of the bubble too. Figuring out the give and take between swimming and everything else is just as important as those hours you put into the pool.
Denzel Washington at University of Pennsylvania (2011)
“Fall forward. This is what I mean: Reggie Jackson struck out 2,600 times in his career: the most in the history of baseball. But you don’t hear about the strikeouts. People remember the home runs. Fall forward. Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that? I didn’t know that because the onethousand-first was the light bulb. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.”
Washington’s speech is a little more obvious in its applicability to swimming. For every triumphant race there are dozens that don’t turn out that way. On top of that, there are even more countless hours of training that have left you frustrated and doubting why in the world you’re doing this sport in the first place. Swimming is a team sport, but it is also very much an individual one. Sometimes your own inner thoughts can be your biggest enemy. But, like Washington suggests, falling into those missteps instead of letting them sweep you away will bring you one step closer to touching that wall in record time (even if it’s a record just for you).
Elizabeth Warren at Suffolk University (2016)
“Knowing who you are will help you when it’s time to fight. Fight for the job you want, fight for the people who mean the most to you and fight for the kind of world you want to live in.”
From coaches to teammates to parents to spectators, there are a lot of voices that go in and out of a swimmer’s head. But Warren’s speech is a reminder that at the end of the day, the most important voice is your own. It’s the one you’re stuck with, and everyone else is just an interloper. While advice and encouragement from others is crucial, it’s most important that they are carefully chosen additions and not adjustments to who you choose to be as a person and as an athlete.
Kristen Bell at University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts (2019)
“When you respect the idea that you are sharing the earth with other humans, and when you lead with your nice foot forward, you’ll win every time. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but it comes back to you when you need it. We live in an age of instant gratification, of immediate likes. And it is uncomfortable to have to wait to see the dividends of your kindness. But I promise you, it will appear exactly when you need it.”
Sometimes, people are rude. Or obnoxious. Or poke fun at your times or act arrogant and just plain mean. Bell’s advice is a reminder to not sink to that level. While her optimism might be a little far reaching, at its core, swimmers can take to heart the necessity for professionalism and sportsmanship in the pool and on deck. Things do tend to come back around, and it’s far better if you are repaid for your kindness than the alternative.
Conan O’Brien at Dartmouth College (2011)
“My first job as your commencement speaker is to illustrate that life is not fair. For example, you have worked tirelessly for four years to earn the diploma you’ll be receiving this weekend, and Dartmouth is giving me the same degree for interviewing the fourth lead in Twilight. Deal with it. Another example that life is not fair: if it does rain, the powerful rich people on stage get the tent. Deal with it….”
While O’Brien’s speech has a delightful taste of sarcasm to it, he does make a good point. Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you will put all the work in, do yards upon yards upon yards of training and still not drop that half-second you wanted. Sometimes you’ll get sick the day before the biggest meet of the season. And while you can gripe and grouch about it, sometimes you just have to grin and bear it and move on.
Dolly Parton at University of Tennessee (2009)
“[T]ake for instance what has worked for me. Wigs. Tight clothes. Push up bras. High heel shoes, five inch high heel shoes…. Now people are always asking me, what do you want people to say about you a hundred years from now? I always say I want them to say, ‘Dang, don’t she still look good for her age.’ But all joking aside. I think people will remember us for who we were, not how many records we sell or how much money we make. Because I have always said that I have always counted my blessings far more often than I’ve counted my money….”
While it might seem difficult to create a venn diagram to see what swimmers and Dolly Parton have in common, her wisdom here certainly holds up when it comes to the sport. Records, fame, and glory will only take you so far. There’s more to swimming than just being a stellar athlete – it’s also about who you are before and after you take off the suit and goggles. In the heat of the moment, gasping for breath and legs burning as you sprint toward the finish, everything can go into tunnel vision. When you hit the wall and see that time, good or bad, it seems like that’s all there is.
But the moment will pass, as all moments do. Parton’s words of wisdom are a reminder that we are not just one thing but the sum of all our parts: most of which don’t have to do with record holding yet have everything to do with how we carry ourselves as people in the world. And there’s no right or wrong way to be that person – whether it means wearing wigs and high heels or sweatpants that smell like chlorine.
There are loads more commencement speeches out there full of funny quips, heartfelt sentiments, and words of wisdom (check out Time, Esquire, and The Washington Post to see where the above quotes came from, along with others).
What is some life advice or swimming advice that has stuck with you through the years? Let us know in the comments!
-All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
So much great advice in this! Loved the article!