Attitude of Gratitude: Thankful For My Swimming Family

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Photo Courtesy: Cathleen Pruden

By Cathleen Pruden, Swimming World College Intern

On Thanksgiving, family often tops the list of things we’re thankful for. Family has many functions, and is certainly at the top of my list, but I am extra thankful that my family is a swimming family.

On a recent Wednesday night, after a tough practice, I realized just how grateful I am for my swimming family. I called home from college and said, “Guess what I went in a 400 IM tonight!” While only two of my five family members would have been able to make a reasonable guess, no matter who answered my call would be happy for me and support my excitement, because I am blessed with a swimming family.

A swim family can take many forms.

I have a sister who can swim next to me and push me through an entire two-hour practice. Or, she can be 600 miles away and motivate me by sending me her times from the set she dominated that afternoon.

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Photo Courtesy: Cathleen Pruden

My youngest brother gave swimming a try, and now simply enjoys summer league competition. But, he has moved on to soccer, and as an athlete, he still loves hearing that his big sister has excelled, and his excitement means the world to me.

My other brother learned to swim simply because it is a life safety skill. My aquatic endeavors don’t mean much to him and he knows that there is a lot more to life than swimming. That outlook keeps me grounded in reality. There is more to my life than swimming.

Despite their varying levels of chlorination, my siblings certainly have an impact on me as a swimmer. Yet, I am most thankful that my parents are willing to be swim parents.

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Photo Courtesy: Cathleen Pruden

I did not get my driver’s license until I was 21. Consequently, my dad drove to the 5 a.m. practices day after day, multiple summers in a row with minimal complaints. The mornings I woke up and thought, “but I don’t want to,” I can only imagine how he, who had nothing to gain, felt about driving across town in the dark. My dad knows that there is much he will never understand about swimming, but he takes pride in his ability to find a live results link or recognize a best time. In the end, he just wants his daughters to be happy with our swims and with ourselves and he is proud of us no matter the results. That slightly removed but supportive role is one that I am very thankful for.

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Photo Courtesy: Cathleen Pruden

In March 2013, my mom drove from Raleigh to Indianapolis to Atlanta over the course of three and a half days to get to see each of her daughters in what was, at the time, the biggest meets of our swimming careers.

My mom is a Super Swim Mom. Over the past 15 years, she has logged even more miles driving in circles around Raleigh on carpool duty. When she cannot be at a meet in person, my mom finds a way to watch the live feed. She has spent hours on deck officiating because she knows that, quite simply, meets cannot happen without officials. She understands how important my success is to me, finding a YMCA or a local team to swim with when we travel. Yet, she keeps it all in perspective. When I’m not thrilled with a swim, she will still find a bright spot, even if it means saying, “well that was your 3rd best ever” or “at this meet last year, you were even slower.”

My swim parents have different roles with varying intensities, but I am thankful for that balance and grateful for their commitments. They have helped me set high standards, learning to value both sides of the student-athlete equation. Most importantly, they have seen swimming as a tool, something to help me become the best possible version of myself, but making sure that swimming does not totally define me.

Every swim family looks different, but every swim family shapes their swimmer.

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Photo Courtesy: Cathleen Pruden

Somebody else has an older sister who has set the standard, with times her sibling will strive for. Somebody else has a brother who only swims recreationally, but will still attend meets. Somebody else has a mom who can’t tell breastroke from butterfly but always comes prepared with chocolate milk and the best post-practice snacks. Somebody else has a dad who swam through college and is now a coach.

For each of these individuals who complete a swimming family, we are thankful. Whether or not we always realize it, swimming is a family affair. These people matter. For every moment a swimmer complains about staring at the black line their parents complain about staring at brake lights in traffic, their windows fogging up after the swimmers’ chlorinated bodies enter the car, and their schedules skewed by providing dinner at strange hours. Swimming is not a cheap sport, and it is a time intensive one.

We get to swim because these family members make sacrifices for it to happen.

I’m thankful for my swimming family beyond Thanksgiving. I’m thankful every time somebody gives me a ride, buys me new goggles, or says they are proud of me.

And today, I’m thankful for this family because they planned our Black Friday shopping expedition around an inconvenient practice time.

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Anne Slater
8 years ago

Beautiful, Cathleen!

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