#Thanksswimming: Being Thankful for the Sport

Feature by Mallory Cage

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, November 29. EVERY year when Thanksgiving comes around we are encouraged to remember everything we are thankful for. Friends, family, material possessions; but this year something else came to mind.

I am in my last year at the University of South Carolina where I have been lucky enough to be a part of the swimming and diving team. Most times I find myself focusing too much on the rough parts of swimming. The sore muscles, lack of sleep from morning practice or the chlorine burn on my face, however, this year being my last I've tried to focus on the positives.

Leading up to Thanksgiving there was a "trending topic" on Twitter, which means people all over the world were talking about it and marking it with a hash-tag. This one was #thanksswimming. I'm not sure if it ever really caught on but I saw some swimmers talking about it and it made me think about all of the opportunities swimming has presented me with.

One of the biggest things swimming has done for me was it was the reason I ended up at the University of South Carolina in the first place. If I hadn't been given the chance to swim with the Gamecocks I would have gone to a different school and had a completely different college experience, but because the coaches allowed me to be a part of the team and that was what I wanted I made what has been one of the best decisions of my life.

Swimming in college has been one of the best things I've ever done and it has given back to me in ways I never imagined when I first put on my Gamecock swim cap. So these are a few things I would like to #thanksswimming for.

Relationships
First and foremost would be the relationships I have formed because of swimming. I've had friends that I have literally known my whole life and while I know almost everything about them and hold them close to my heart, there is something different about the bond I have with my swimming friends.

I think it has something to do with the fact that they have seen me at my worst and my best. They've seen me in the middle of Christmas training, at 5 a.m. and at the end of a long meet weekend when my skin is literally peeling off. But they've also seen me at a taper meet when I'm rested and seeing all my hard work pay off or at a team banquet when I have make-up on and actually brushed my hair. And they still like me.

I know one of the main reasons this bond is so strong is because no one other than swimmers really understand what it is like and it's your swimming friends that go through every up and down with you. They're the ones in the lane next to you as you both struggle to finish a tough practice. They're the ones you complain with about walking to class or how tough it is to walk up a flight of stairs. They're also the ones that are by your side after you go a best time at the last meet or your relay teammates as you fight for the win. These relationships are shaped by a common understanding and a trust that your teammate will be there no matter how tough things get.

Another relationship swimming has given me is with my coaches. In college or club swimming you often spend more time during the week with your coaches than you do your own family. I know when I arrived at South Carolina that was one of my favorite parts. While my coaches and teammates can't replace my family they did help to form a new one in Columbia. Being part of the team gave me a sense of belonging and a lot of that had to do with the way the coaches treated us. They spent time getting to know all of us from the minute we walked on campus and I never felt like I was just their swimmer.

Health
If there's one thing no swimmer can debate it's that we are in good shape. I know that I will probably never be as physically fit as I am as a collegiate athlete; though we often forget that being so sore in tired from working out is better than being unhealthy.

I love the way I feel when I finish up the practice that seemed undoable when we started. While it may have been awful while I was actually doing the workout, it was those practices that helped to strengthen my relationships with my friends and coaches and for me the feeling of accomplishment I have when I'm done is one of the best ones. My body is beat up and exhausted but I feel stronger and tougher than ever.

Swimming has also been the biggest stress reliever I can find. Though sometimes it is the cause of my stress, most often it is the best thing I can do when I am stressed out. During exam time at school our coaches are flexible with our training schedule, knowing that school comes first, but I always try and make a point to get in at least a practice a day. Going to workout allows me to get out of the library for a bit and clear my head. During the rest of the year it is a chance to escape from school. When I am in the pool there is nothing I can do about my to-do list so I just put it out of my head for the duration of practice and pick it back up when I get out.

Job Skills
Swimming has also taught me time management. One of the biggest things I could complain about is always how swimming seems to take up my life. Swimming isn't like most sports where there is a season. While there is a specific competition season in college, you are still training all year round and you still have to schedule things around practice time. But it is because of this constant scheduling that I have learned to manage my time much more effectively than my friends that aren't athletes. Don't get me wrong, I can still procrastinate with the best of them but I tend to do it a lot less frequently because pulling an all-nighter messes me up for days and practice is even harder.

Swimming has also taught me the importance of setting both individual and team goals and that a successful season isn't decided solely on swimming a certain time. At the beginning of every year at South Carolina I have set my own personal goals and we have also met as a women's team and set team goals. Both my personal goals and our team goals reflect things other than times. Through swimming I've learned I can't control everything. Sometimes no matter how hard I've practiced all year I don't always go the times I wanted but that doesn't mean the whole season was a bust. I may have accomplished some of my other goals and I can still be proud.

Time management, goal setting and the hard work ethic all competitive athletes have are skills that big businesses pay large amounts of money to develop in their employees and they are skills that swimming has unintentionally taught me. I've always heard that being a collegiate athlete can help you obtain a good job and I think it is because of these skills.

While I may be ending my collegiate swimming career, leaving behind the days and days of practice at the pool, I know I will never lose the most important things about swimming. I will always have my friends and coaches. I know these are the people that I will keep in touch with over the years and the ones with whom my strongest memories of college are with. I will also have the job skills and the confidence to chase down what I want. And although I may never be in as good as shape as I am while I'm swimming, I know I'll carry the benefits of exercising with me forever.

So, what are you thankful for this holiday season?

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