Hola Blog-Land!
So as I prepare to get back in the pool tomorrow, for what feels like decades (but is actually only a couple months), I thought I would share some reasons why being a swimmer is WAY better than any other athlete you could choose!
15 Ways Swimmers Do it Better
1. Swimming is something you can pick up at any age.
Masters swimming provides a fantastic example of this; there aren’t too
many sports out there that have thriving masters scenes. It’s not
limited to former age groupers either; there are tons of men and women
who get into the sport later in life.
2. It’s a team and an individual sport. We have our
individual races, plus the relays, plus the overall team points and
competition at meets. We churn up and down those lane lines lost in our
thoughts, and then get up at swim meets and cheer for swimmers in groups
on our team we have never trained with.
3. It’s the only sport that quite literally saves lives. According to the CDC,
for kids under the age of 14, drowning is the second leading cause of
unintentional death, and is fifth for all age groups combined. Forget it
as being a competitive sport for a moment, swimming is a life saving
skill to have.
4. We have simple pleasures. Tapers, sprint sets, and three magic words – “get out swim!”
5. We wear parkas in the dead of summer. Because warming up three times during a long finals session is less appealing.
6. Swimmers sound straight gangster when detailing workouts. Telling a non-swimmer how much we did that morning always gets a couple raised eyebrows and a “how many laps is that?” Explaining your workout in “thousands” is pretty much certified badass.
7. Your split-breaking skills are approaching “A Beautiful Mind” levels.
Ask any non swimmer to split 2:00 into 4 parts. They might say “50” or
more likely give you a strange look. But a swimmer can not only break it
evenly, but also account for a slightly faster first 50 thanks to the
dive. And that can help with, like, counting and stuff later in life.
8. Swimmers are a shockingly good looking bunch. Broad back, ripped mid-sections, and chiseled shoulders. Pretty much all that needs to be said.
9. You get to unplug from your cell phone, friends, social media, and so on.
You can’t hide your cell phone in your suit, or check your Facebook
between sets. Swimming allows you the opportunity to fully unplug and
worry only about you and the water.
10. Quietly proud of our work ethic. We practically
invented the term “two-a-days.” Football players describe their stretch
of two-a-days as “Hell Week” or “Double Days.” We call it another week
at the office.
11. Other sports have Gatorade baths; we throw our coaches into the pool.
Nothing says “great meet!” than a coach who is sopping from
head-to-toe, and still manages to have the biggest grin of anyone on
deck. (Just remember to give him a second to pull his phone out of his
pocket before tossing him into the drink.)
12. Speedo tans. No farmer tans here; swimmers get a nice, relatively even tan. With the exception of the goggle strap tan.
13. 8,000 calorie meal plans. Voracious appetites make
for expensive food bills (thanks, Mom!), but it’s pretty satisfying
devouring pasta by the litre after a massive workout. The ensuing carb
nap is always awesome as well. Just remember to stop eating like that in
the off-season.
14. Complete strangers will cheer for you when you are having the race of your life.
A handful of times at a competition you’ll have a swimmer doing
something special. It’s usually threatening a record, but whatever it
is, the crowd senses it and gets behind the swimmer. Teams and
allegiances don’t matter anymore. All that matters is helping to cheer
that kid to the wall. There is quite possibly no better feeling in the
world than surfacing for a breath and hearing the whole building unleash
a collecting, “GO!”
15. Diving into the water is like hitting the reset button in life.
It’s a Zen-like feeling, when you dive into a quiet lane, leaving the
stresses and troubles behind you as the cold, crisp water washes you
anew. The annoyances of day-to-day life — for an hour at least —
disappear with those first few strokes.
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And just in case you need a little extra convincing...
I rest my case!
