5 Tips to Being a Good College Ambassador at Home

Photo Courtesy: Sara Goff

By Sarah Lloyd, Swimming World College Intern

Ah, holiday training. If you’re a college swimmer, this phrase immediately conjures up visions of you and you’re teammates frolicking about on a white sand beach, splashing around in clear, tropical waters with brief breaks in this lounging to crank out some serious yardage in wavy outdoor pools. These training trips, however, don’t happen until we’ve taken some time with our families at home and, of course, our old club teams.

Going home to train with an old club team is both an opportunity to change up your training for a short period of time and make a good impression on the younger swimmers, but us college swimmers can fall into the trap of being “that college kid.” You know the one I’m talking about. Here are five tips to avoid being “that college kid” and representing your school in a good light.

1. Show up on time.

When you make a commitment to go to practices with your club team, show up on time. Remember when you were in high school and you would watch all of the alums stroll in halfway through warmup? Remember how annoying it was? Yeah, don’t be that kid. Set a good example by being on time and getting in the water on time, even if the other college kids who are back aren’t doing the same thing. By showing up and getting in with the rest of the swimmers, you’re both showing your club coach the right amount of respect–because let’s face it, club coaches don’t have to let us come back and swim for free on our breaks–and giving your school a good name.

2. Do the whole workout.

For many college swimmers, it is a privilege to be able to come home and train with their old club teams. With that being said, it’s important that you do the whole workout when you go back to to train with your club. Remember when those college kids would get out halfway through the main set because they just didn’t feel like doing it? Don’t be one of those kids. Doing the whole workout is not only good for you (how are you going to feel when you get in for your first training trip workout if you’ve done almost nothing all break?), but it sets a good example for the younger swimmers, too.

Photo Courtesy: Chucka NC

3. Go to more than one workout.

I know that time at home can be pretty hectic–we’re trying to see all of our friends and family in the short span of maybe two weeks–but going to practices should be one of our priorities. It doesn’t have to be the top priority, but you should make a concerted effort to go to more than one workout. Going to practices consistently keeps you feeling good in the water and shows your coaches and the younger swimmers that you take both your training and the club seriously.

4. Talk to some of the younger kids.

College swimmers can be intimidating when they come back every once in a while, so it’s important to break the ice with them. Talk to the kids in your lane, ask them about school and where they might be looking to go to college (push your school!), as well as how their season’s been going. Be kind, be considerate–don’t plow over that 14-year-old girl who got stuck in your lane–and be friendly.

5. Wear your college cap.

If you do everything listed above, that’s awesome, but in order to truly represent your college you need to wear your school’s cap! Wear your team gear proudly and be a good ambassador of your program, your school, and college swimming in general–you’re an influence for all of the high school swimmers on your club team.

Photo Courtesy: Hayley Good

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