Motivational Monday: Why Do We Do Love The Sport of Swimming? There Are Good Reasons

Athletes of Team Australia celebrate after winning the gold medal in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay Women Final with a New World Record during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 27th, 2023.

Motivational Monday: Why Do We Do Embrace The Sport of Swimming? There Are Good Reasons

Why?

It’s a simple word with a deep meaning. Others may say it to us, and we may say it to ourselves. In the sport of swimming, we are constantly surrounded by the word, “why.”

First, there’s the “why” questions that we ask ourselves. Why do I have to get up at 5 a.m. for morning practice? Why is my coach making us do this hard set? Why am I not dropping any time in my events?

Then, there’s the questions that non-swimmers ask us. Why can’t you skip practice? Why do you get up so early in the morning? Why do you eat so healthy? Why do you travel for meets every weekend? Why do you swim?

Every once in a while, it’s important to think about the answers to “why.” Swimming is not only time-consuming, but it also accompanies you in almost every aspect of your life. We eat to swim, making sure that we are constantly fueling our bodies for hours upon hours of practice. We sleep to swim, ensuring that we are well rested. We miss out on lots of events because of meets. In all of this craziness, we sometimes lose track of what’s really important. When you take the time to reflect and think about the sport, you can discover that there is so much meaning within it.

Those morning practices that we often dread, and our friends question why we even go to: they shape us into disciplined individuals. When we get up before the crack of dawn to head to the pool, we prove to ourselves and to others that we are ready to conquer the day ahead. Ignoring the voice inside your head telling you to go back to sleep is critical, because it sets the stage for the rest of your day. Most people wouldn’t imagine getting up so early to go jump into an icy abyss (also known as the pool), but we do it on a regular basis. This consistency allows us to become disciplined, and this discipline bleeds through into other areas of our lives. It builds discipline that swimmers can use in practice, at school, at work, or in any other parts of their daily lives that require it.

Every swimmer knows the feeling of looking to the clock and realizing that they missed their goal time. When this happens, we are usually quick to begin questioning why we even continue working so hard at practice only to see ourselves fail. At some point or another, most swimmers think about or even claim to be quitting the sport. However, the next morning, they stand behind the blocks again at morning practice. This shows yet another deep meaning in our sport: facing challenges head on. Every time that you get back up again after a difficult race, you show yourself and others that you are a force to be reckoned with. You wont’ give up when things get hard, and you never back down from a good challenge. When we do eventually meet these challenges, the feeling is indescribable joy. Those moments of looking at the clock and seeing a PB after a long period of struggle are a beautiful reason to keep swimming.

Long after we are retired from swimming, we will use the skills the sport gives us. Swimming not only burns massive calories, exercises all of our muscle groups, and makes us mentally tough. It teaches us to be disciplined. It shows us that while challenges are inevitable, we need to face them head on. It demonstrates the idea that success can only be achieved through hard work and dedication. Swimming trains us for life.

That’s why!

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