Peering into the Fish Bowl

Team Bonding
Photo Courtesy: Kristy Kinzer

By Kristy Kinzer, Swimming World College Intern.

From the outside looking in, spectators and non-aquatic athletes observe strange phenomena while supporting loved ones in their competitive pursuits. Swimmers have a unique and strong culture bolstered by training for countless hours during both morning and afternoon practices, eating meals together to avoid judgment toward their heaping plates of soon-to-be-devoured food, napping in random spots around campus (aka “cuddle puddles”), and constantly sweating chlorine from their pores. This tight bond makes for entertaining people-watching sessions from the crowd of spectators.

Desensitized swimmers rarely think twice about how their interactions and lifestyle appear to those outside of swimming culture. By and large, most non-swimmers have come to the consensus that swimmers are just plain “weird.” The athletes seem to take it in stride. Or should I say, in stroke?

Let me walk us through a bleachers’-eye view of swim fans to see if you reach the same consensus.

Bleached Hair

Photo Courtesy: Hal Goodwin

Begin scenario.

Bare-chested male athletes strut around the pool deck showing off bright bleached mohawks, shouting tribal cheers with their teammates. Some who were previously clothed emerge from a wrapped towel, suddenly sporting a swim suit. Females decorate themselves in team garb ranging from animal onesies with team tattoos covering their faces to brightly streaked hair and matching nails. They interact with coaches and teammates alike during warm-up with no shame of their skin-tight, revealing and sometimes see-through swim suits.

Drink water

Photo Courtesy: Jeremy Crawford

While standing behind the blocks preparing for races, men’s chests are ablaze with outlines of hand prints from repeated self-inflicted slaps to the muscles. Others lap chlorinated water into their mouths to either swallow or spew in a fountain of aerosolized droplets as a battle cry of sorts. And your friend sitting on the gutter with the slightly guilty smile–yes, she is using the “public” restroom if you know what I mean.

The aquatic center walls reverberate with echoes of teammates urging the competing athletes to swim faster with a variety of calls. Each swimmer knows his coach’s specific grunt or “whooping” call by the pitch and tone, which signals his presence while the swimmer gasps for a few more gulps of oxygen. Cheering motions consist of upper limbs frantically flailing for the quarter-second breath when the swimmer may catch a glimpse of a supportive teammate.

Race Cheering

Photo Courtesy: Jeremy Crawford

From the stands, fans scan each lane for any recognizable limb belonging to their loved one. “There she is! Oh wait, she’s the other one in the cap and goggles. Oh bother.” Once the swimmer finishes at the wall, she immediately studies the scoreboard for her place and time.

Fans speculate if the swimmer is pleased with the race but quizzically ask those around if it was a good time or not. No questions about performance are asked if the swimmer is observed slapping the water repeatedly in celebration. “What stroke was that again?” spectators wonder aloud instead.

Abby Finishes

Photo Courtesy: Jeremy Crawford

A fan enters the bleachers, eyes peeled for his swimmer friend. He somehow is able to find the swimmer and asks, “When do you swim?” with the predictable answer, “I already did!”

End scenario.

I’d be surprised if any swimmer or swim fan reading this article did not empathize with any of the above incidents. I’ll give immediate family credit for being “in the know,” but friends and extended family remain ignorant of many happenings in the swimming world. The combination of fan unfamiliarity with the ins and outs of swim competition and lack of general public swimming knowledge makes fertile ground for awkward fan experiences. The schedule of swim meets does not favor predictability of event start times, nor does overheated, chlorinated air encourage an environment of comfort for spectators.

We swimmer folk need to do our due diligence to empathize with those who come to support our teams and educate them on the idiosyncrasies of the sport and experience as a whole. At the very least, this will give us more of a chance to be judged accurately, even if they eventually reach the conclusion that we really are all “just plain weird.”

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