4 Reasons You Should Get Involved Outside of Swimming

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Photo Courtesy: Katie Robinson

By Caitlin Daday, Swimming World College Intern

Swimming is time consuming. There is no getting around that fact. Whether you swim in high school, with a club team, or in college (or have done all three), you understand that once you have chosen this sport, that is what your life will revolve around. Or so it seems.

One thing I have learned, though it has taken me until my junior year of college, is that it is important to branch out. Sometimes you need to mix things up and try something new. Obviously as a Division 1 athlete my time is limited, but I have realized how important it has been, for a number of reasons, for me to get involved in things outside of the pool. Here are a few reasons why expanding your horizons can be so beneficial.

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Photo Courtesy: Pepe Pont

1. The chance to make new friends.

A swim team is a family. Upon joining a team, you automatically gain a group you belong to, whether or not you are best friends with every single person on the team. As a result, it gets easy to get comfortable with the group you are in and not feel forced to expand your social group. Further, the people on the team understand your life better than the majority of other people would.

While the friendships you have with your team are certainly invaluable, there are other people out there you can relate to in other ways. You can meet people who share some of your other passions outside of the pool, which is important to developing your interests once your swimming days are over. Joining new groups or clubs or even just taking classes without your teammates allows you to gain a new circle of people who can give you a break from being with the same people all the time.

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2. The ability to discover and pursue things you enjoy.

Over the last year I have taken a lot of chances with trying new activities. This internship, for example, was one of them. I have come to find a ton of new places for myself on my campus and in the world. Allowing myself to pursue other interests has given me the chance to look forward to things other than swimming.

If you do not take a chance and try something new, you may miss out on something that could have greatly impacted you. You may miss out on friendship opportunities, interest, jobs–the list could go on. Stepping out of your swimming bubble will give you more to life once your swimming career is over.

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Photo Courtesy: Stephen Gibson

3. Adding to your resume.

As I finish up my junior year of college, the need to develop my resume has been looming over me constantly. I am always questioning whether or not I have enough to compete with everyone else out there seeking the same opportunities as me. There never seems like there is enough. While being a collegiate athlete is great, and I know future employers will not undermine that, I think that having something more gives you even more of an extra edge.

If you can find one or two extra activities that you enjoy, you can easily pad your resume. Whether it be service or a club or whatever, getting involved in things outside of swimming will be valuable to your future. If you can balance school and swimming and a few extra commitments, you can do anything, and employers will see that too.

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Photo Courtesy: bobostudio

4. Mixing things up.

Sometimes you need a little bit of time that is not devoted to swimming. Swimming is truly very time consuming, so sometimes you need something different. Being involved in other things gives you a chance to prioritize something other than swimming, which you might otherwise not have the chance to do.

Adding a ton of new activities to your schedule can be stressful. But at the end of the day, swimming is not everything. You are not just swimming, and swimming is not all you are interested in. So then why should that be all you do?

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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