6 Things to Love About Racing

Jul 17, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Katie Meili of the United States (left) races Julia Sebastian of Argentina (right) in the women's swimming 100m breaststroke preliminary heats during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Pan Am Aquatics UTS Centre and Field House. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Courtesy: USA TODAY Sports

By Annie Grevers, Swimming World Staff Writer

We the people of the United States…love a good race. It’s never more apparent than during an election year/Olympic year. And in this season of love, I thought it would be an appropriate time to muse about our infatuation with racing.

Here are a few things this swammer loves about get-up-and-go time…

1. The Adrenaline Spike

I think back to my cloth cap and pillow-gasket goggle days and recall having a bit of an upset stomach as a 7-year-old en route to a summer league meet. I had never felt this physical reaction to nerves before and I was not sure what to make of it. Was it something I ate? Or is this feeling in my tummy really because I want to be the neighborhood breaststroke queen? Turns out it was the latter. The nerves almost made me puke in high school, but I thought that’s the point I needed to get to in order to know I was race ready. Well, I was wrong. Ralphing doesn’t help race preparedness, but caring a healthy amount certainly does. I now miss the flutter in my gut. That flutter indicates commitment, competitiveness, and a true love for racing.

2. The High Velocity Plunge

Jul 17, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Frantz Dorsainvil of Haiti (top) is late off the starting blocks as the rest of the field dives into the pool at the start of the men's swimming 50m freestyle preliminary heats during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Pan Am Aquatics UTS Centre and Field House. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports

We have all had a bad dive, acknowledged the bad dive, then allowed it to ruin a race. But how about those dives that rip you through the water and leave you feeling like you barely have to use your limbs to ride that speed? Those are the best. The water rushes past your ears and your body innately knows what to do. No fatigue, just pent up energy thankful to be unleashed.

3. The Eye-to-Eye Race

Coaches have technical reasons for you to learn the bilateral breath, but here’s a logical one– so you can keep your sights on every person in your heat. I’ve watched so many races and pleaded in my head, “Breathe the other way!” knowing that if my teammate or swimmer could just see how close they were to the competition, they would find a new gear. Some of my most energizing race moments as a breaststroker came on open turns– when my competitor and I turned simultaneously. It usually led to a shot of energy when I needed it the most. We may not be verbal during our races, but there’s fight in those eye-to-eye/goggle-to-goggle moments.

4. The Final 10 Meters/Yards

Yes, yes, the stage where the lactate in your body makes you feel as though there are two of you to drag to the wall. But this is where magic happens. Where the closers show their grit. Where our most primal instincts take over. Where the timing of the finish (see above) decides who gets the W. These are the yards that the true lovers of racing live for. Watch a heat of the best in the world and it looks as if a gust of wind helps them to the wall from beneath the flags. It’s incredible how the mind can rally the body in those defining seconds.

5. The Definitive Result

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

Unlike gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and diving, swimming results are numbers from an electronic clock, rather than scores deduced from human scrutiny. I recently read swimming legend Jeff Farrell‘s book, “My Olympic Story- Rome 1960.” (He made the Olympic team six days after an appendectomy; story is recounted in SW’s March issue.) Farrell writes of several races that had wishy-washy results due to the reliance on finish judges. “Results in 1960 were decided by finish judges who relied on their eyes and did not use replays. There were three first-place judges and three second-place judges,” according to sports-reference.com.

These finish judges led to a huge controversy surrounding who actually won Olympic gold in the men’s 100 freestyle in Rome. An electronic system existed only as backup. Can you imagine? Every time the digital display goes out after a race now, swimmers, spectators and coaches are at a loss. Spectators eyes are on the clock in a tight race; not the wall. Knowing things weren’t always definitive in the sport gives you a deeper appreciation for the objective result we get now– knowing (the vast majority of the time) that we can look up and see who won a race. Times are such a clear cut measure of progress.

6. The In-Race Mini Victories

As painful as in-season racing can be, it provides ample opportunities to develop plans of attack. The many dress rehearsals allow time to chisel a race into the form we want it to take at the big dance. I recall watching race video after one meet and being embarrassed by how terrible my pulldowns were. I worked at them after practice for the rest of the season and could feel the work payoff in my races at the end of the season. There are moments within a race when you know you nailed a turn, a pulldown, a dive, a breakout. String together a series of those mini wins and they conglomerate into pile of confidence and sustained momentum.

What do you love about racing?

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Dunc1952
Dunc1952
8 years ago

Annie —
You are the best writer for swimming I’ve ever soaked up. Keep expressing your experiences with clarity; you continually tell the story of successful swimmers from a real place. Thank you.

Barbara Chandler
Barbara Chandler
8 years ago

From the cloth cap days on, watching my passionate swimmer RACE still gives me chills to think about…so very inspiring! xo

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