Let me tell you why I love the sport of swimming SO MUCH.
After being on the same swim team for six years, we switched to a new team about six months ago.
This came as a surprise to our former team, and some people were really understanding and supportive of our decision, and then there were other people who didn’t take the news so well.
This is not uncommon.
Switching teams can often be accompanied by some drama.
But no matter what happens with the grown ups directly (or indirectly) involved, the kids don’t care.
I mean, they miss their teammates who move to another team, but they don’t take it personally, and they don’t hold grudges.
Once you are a part of the swimming community, you have friends for life.
Friends who are the only ones who understand what is really involved in being in the sport of competitive swimming. The sacrifices you make, the tedium you endure, the hours you put in, the grueling training you do.
You could go anywhere in the country and not know a soul, but if you crossed paths with a swimmer, even a swimmer you had never met, you would immediately have someone who gets you.
This past weekend we were at a two-day swim meet. It was held at the pool of our new team.
Our previous team was also at the meet.
Number 4 and 5 swam on Saturday and Sunday morning, and it was the first “big kid” swim meet for Number 5.
Once you turn nine years old, swimming really steps it up a notch.
Number 5 was very excited to swim with her older sister, but also very nervous.
Because one of her events was the 100 butterfly, and she had never swum it before.
If you are not a swimmer, you don’t really understand the significance of this event.
It’s four lengths of the pool swimming butterfly, which, when you are nine and have never done it before, is like the grown up equivalent of running a marathon for the first time.
If you are a swimmer, you know that the first time you swim 100 fly you are sure you are going to:
1) DIE
2) Totally come in last.
3) Get DQ’d (disqualified because you didn’t swim it correctly)
and
4) Be completely humiliated in front of hundreds of people.
Number 5 was so nervous.
She started panicking on Saturday night, telling me she couldn’t do it and begging me to take her out of the event the next day.
I wasn’t going to do that since she was the one who had asked to swim in this meet.
In fact, I ended up not even going to watch her swim at all on Sunday. I wasn’t coaching that day, and I had to bring Number 3 to his session later in the afternoon, so I stayed home that morning so he could sleep in.
I felt guilty missing Number 5’s first attempt at 100 butterfly, but I knew if I was anywhere near the pool deck there would be lots of tears and lots of drama and lots of begging to be scratched from the event.
So I stayed away.
My parents drove the girls up to the meet, so my mom was texting me updates.
And then she sent me this picture:
That’s Number 5’s cheering section.
Ten kids at the end of her lane.
Five kids from her old team, four kids from her new team, and her big sister.
It doesn’t really matter what team you are on.
Once you are a part of the swimming community, you have family wherever you go.
In other towns, in other states, and sometimes even in other countries.
Friends and a family for life, who are always there for you, no matter what.
And while I absolutely love our new team and all the new friends we are making, I sure was reminded yesterday how awesome all of our “old” friends are too.
Those kids in that picture are all kids I used to coach, and they won’t read this, but maybe a couple of their parents will, and I just want them to know that I sure do love all those kids still.
Thanks for taking care of my little Number 5 in her first big girl swim, Old Teammates.
You let her (and me) know that she’s still a part of the family.
And that is (reason #1,497) why I love swimming.
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