Let me tell you why I love the sport of swimming.
Once you enter the world of competitive swimming, whether you stay there for one season or ten seasons, you have entered a sport that isn’t like any other one.
And the only people who get it are other swimmers.
And whether you know each other or not, swimmers support other swimmers.
Years ago, when I was sixteen, my first job was as a lifeguard and assistant swim coach at a country club pool.
I loved that place.
I coached kids of all ages.
One of them was a girl who is four years younger than me.
She was a great swimmer — better than I ever was.
Since she was four years younger than me, although we lived in the same town, we never swam together on the high school team.
So I only knew her as a kid that I coached in the summers who would have totally kicked my ass if we ever swam against each other.
Thirty years later, we connected on Facebook after she somehow discovered the blog.
A week or so ago, I got a message from her on Facebook. She lives just outside of Boston, and she offered to have us over for a pre-marathon dinner.
I bet she was surprised when I messaged her back and said, “WE’RE TOTALLY COMING!”
The thought of being able to hang out at someone’s house, relax, and let the kids have fun and play with her three boys was super appealing.
We were one man down since one kid was sick, so seven of us showed up at her house for dinner.
And that’s the thing about swimmers. They take care of their own. For life. Whether they know you or not. Even if there is a small army of you.
We had a great night of lasagna and ice cream and beers and laughs and kids playing and friends being made.
And tonight was just another reminder how one day you are on one side of the swimming equation, coaching someone and helping them to succeed, and another day, thirty years later, that kid you coached is doing the exact same thing for you.
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