4 Signs that the Butterfly Life Has Chosen You

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Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Delaney Lanker, Swimming World Magazine College Intern (From the Archive)

I once had a coach tell me that butterfly was the easiest stroke. At the time, I just looked at him and rolled my eyes. But, here I am years later, a Division I butterflier, and I might have come to believe him. This means I must have gone crazy right? But after endless 100 and 200 butterfly sets and constantly sore shoulders, it doesn’t seem that bad anymore.

But you don’t choose the butterfly life. The butterfly life chooses you.

1. Your butterfly is just as fast as your freestyle.

Yup, it’s come to that now. When I have to do a timed 100 freestyle off the blocks, all I can hope is that the time is faster than the 100 fly I did right before it. Because, when nine times out of 10 the answer to the question “do I have to do this butterfly?” is yes, sometimes it is just easier to do a set butterfly than freestyle.

2. You secretly like the 200 fly.

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Photo Courtesy: Peter Bick

Yes, the 200 fly is my favorite event. It’s a love/hate kind of relationship but at the end of the day, I’d pick the 200 fly over any other event (except for maybe the 50).

With all of the butterfly at practice we do, a 200 fly in a race seems like nothing. Those long butterfly training trip sets are something you live and die for. Knowing they will hurt, feeling like the lifeguard may have to come in and save you at any moment but remembering that at the end of the season, it will all be worth it.

So yes, I like the 200 fly more than your average swimmer, but but there is no better feeling than finally touching the wall at the end of the race.

3. Coaches can’t use it as a punishment.

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Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

When coaches threaten to make you do 100s butterfly after practice because of lazy practice habits like breathing into and out of your walls, it’s not punishment for us butterfliers, its just an extension of the practice we already had that day.

But please don’t make us do breaststroke.

4. Your hips don’t lie.

MPUnderWater

We can dolphin kick for days and sometimes wishing we were a mermaid is all that can get us through the end of a long set. Any good butterflier knows the secret to the stroke is actually swimming it as little as possible, and rather underwater kicking your way through the race.

And let’s be honest, Shakira’s hips don’t have anything on those of a butterflier.

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7 years ago

I got chosen by breastroke; as did my two older brothers. It’s in my genes. But I always wished it was the fly, such a great stroke. Although it’s technically my second fastest stroke in sheer time, compared to peers, records, and time standards, it’s by far my worst and I know it has something to do with my core and hips. I have a mental block against improving in it. I hope to take “butterfly lessons” and learn how to make it more natural for me before I die. Is it too late to teach an old dog new tricks? 😉

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7 years ago

Hahah Gabriela Cuzzi Fernandes “seu borbo é mais rápido doq seu crawl”

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7 years ago

Lars Illing?

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7 years ago

Kann ich nur bestätigen?

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7 years ago

Brittany Archer

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7 years ago

This style was hard for me when i was doing swimming in my teens but i never regretted it. Love swimming.

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Victoria Winters ?

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7 years ago

Nope nope nope.

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7 years ago

Max Forst

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7 years ago

Grace Nordquist . . This is so you

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7 years ago

Laura Weinreich – passer nu meget godt???

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7 years ago

Danielle Bright Schoolcraft for Keira

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I will definitely show her thus one. Thanks for passing it our way 🙂

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7 years ago

Daniel Madigan

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7 years ago

Mads Claussen

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7 years ago

Fabian, Check das mal

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7 years ago
Reply to  Kai Schirmer

Maul ?

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So true. Haha. Butterfly is my stroke! When I swim on my own, I usually do a total of 1000 to 1500 m of fly in my workouts (sets, swims, kicks, & drills)

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7 years ago

Ben Garratt

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7 years ago

Zephie Villalobos

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7 years ago

Bryan Adams
How about “no”?

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7 years ago

Shari Herrin Bergmann – yes. My butterfly was definitely almost or faster than my freestyle at times lol

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7 years ago

Por anos nadei essa modalidade, não era a minha em especial porém nadava super bem ela, foi aí que consegui ficar que nem o Hulk por alguns anos, fiquei forte pra porra

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7 years ago

Is this what you were talking about this morning, Laura Semonche Jones?

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7 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I wish! But kind of…:-)

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7 years ago

Sydnie Saddoris

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7 years ago

Julian Garcia Gabriela Barragan

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7 years ago

Jade Ely 🙂

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7 years ago
Reply to  Lindsey Lentz

Haha our lives suck ????

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7 years ago
Reply to  Lindsey Lentz

but at least our hips don’t lie 😉

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7 years ago

Alex Vine

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7 years ago

Max

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7 years ago

Hernan Campos Zapata mira la #3 ?????????

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7 years ago

Imad Elmoustakim

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7 years ago

Sanne Rebers nummer 3 laatste zin?

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7 years ago

??

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7 years ago

Ellena Šušteršić

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7 years ago
Reply to  Nikita Baraba

-.- <3

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7 years ago
Reply to  Nikita Baraba

Tocno to?

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7 years ago
Reply to  Nikita Baraba

ahhh a tako je kako je hahahah

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7 years ago

Claire D’Attoma

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7 years ago

Lina Ahorner?

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7 years ago

Julian Garcia Ziggy Garcia Sigfrido Garcia your hips won’t lie…now it makes so much sense

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7 years ago

Lisa, I think Ashy would agree.

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7 years ago

Silje Tvedt omg yaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssaaaa

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7 years ago

Haahahh ?

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7 years ago

One of my Lexi’s new favs

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7 years ago

Sol Elizaldi

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7 years ago

Lizbeth Denisse

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7 years ago

Trueeee

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7 years ago

Anna de Boer, Fabian Natusch, kennen wir oder? ?

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7 years ago
Reply to  Oliver Nauroth

vor allem das 3. 😀

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7 years ago
Reply to  Oliver Nauroth

hahah ja 😀

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7 years ago
Reply to  Oliver Nauroth

Punkt 3 …Bitte kein Brust ?

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7 years ago

Pearce Scammell Ali Crosbie Julia Klarich Annie Bygrave Luke Schiffler Nick Rispoli Catherine Rolston Thomas Hollingsworth Donald Cameron Joshy Minogue Maddy Munns Mamo Asianboi Matelita Buadromo Kinver Nicholls Jess O’Brien

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7 years ago

Brock Wallace

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7 years ago

Samantha Zavala

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7 years ago

Mary Laura Meza ?

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7 years ago

Delaney Walz Ethan Do

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7 years ago

THIS MIGHT JUST BE THE MOST ACCURATE THING I’VE EVER SEEN

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7 years ago

Zachary Cootes never wished I was a mermaid but the rest is pretty accurate

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7 years ago
Reply to  Zack Allen

Not that I REALLY know what a 2fly set feels like

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7 years ago
Reply to  Zack Allen

so true, hips don’t lie, coach can’t use it as punishment lol

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Lacey Lorraine Radloff Bobby Radloff

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7 years ago

Ben

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7 years ago

None of those are me so I’m good

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7 years ago

Jessica Mouatt

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7 years ago

Joel Berglund

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7 years ago

Paola O’Brien

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