Should College Swimmers Study Abroad?

Study-Abroad-Hawaii
Photo Courtesy: Sarah Ehrmantraut

By McKenna Ehrmantraut, Swimming World College Intern. 

College is about opening yourself up to new experiences and finding out who you want to be. Some students do this through their classes, clubs or athletics; however, one experience that always seems to stand out is the opportunity to study abroad. Scholarships are starting to make it possible for many wanderers to study abroad, but sadly, those scholarships don’t help swimmers bring the pool with them. Don’t fret! It’s still possible to trade in your goggles for a passport for a semester or two. Here are a few pros and some cons for swimmers wanting to studying abroad.

Going Abroad During Fall Semester

Study-Abroad-Connor

Photo Courtesy: Connor King

Trying to spot a college swimmer in the fall? They’ll be wearing sweats, have slightly damp swim hair and be carrying a venti, double-shot pumpkin spice latte. This is the season where doubles are inevitable and practices make you cry, but it’s also vital for getting into prime shape for the spring’s big meets. Swimmers and their coaches often seem to worry about how missing four months of intense training will effect them at the conference championships or NCAAs, but sometimes the opportunity for travel outweighs missing half of a swim season.

Connor King, a senior at the University of Puget Sound, traveled to Tokyo during the fall of his junior year and said, “I knew my swim season might suffer from my study abroad experience, but I was okay with that. For me, studying abroad was a once in a lifetime experience that outweighed the semester of training I missed. The hardest part for me was not missing the training but missing the team as a whole.” King choose the fall because he wanted to be able to make a difference at conference even if he had missed a semester of training.

Just because you’re traveling abroad doesn’t mean you have stop training completely. While training abroad may not be as intense as college practices, most countries have fantastic athletic facilities, especially if your staying on a college campus. If working out isn’t in your plans, then try and take up the local European custom of walking or riding your bike to your favorite new coffee shop. Any activity helps!

Studying Abroad for Spring Semester

Study-Abroad-Mara

Photo Courtesy: Mara Selznick

Studying abroad in the spring seems like a dream come true, with the cherry blossoms blooming in Paris and Tokyo and the tulip festivities beginning in Amsterdam. Sadly, this seems to be one of the hardest times to travel abroad for swimmers. While the fall season is longer, traveling in the spring means possibly missing training trip and definitely missing conference and NCAAs. The decision to travel in the spring is entirely up to the individual, and it depends on how passionate they are about being present for those big meets.

Josie McCloughan, another UPS student in the class of ‘21, is in the process of planning her trip to Italy in the spring semester of 2020. “While it’s slightly upsetting to miss out on a big meet, it’s hard to pass up such a life changing experience. And the programs I’m looking at are only available in the spring,” she reasons.

Some swimmers have difficulty swimming in the fall without the motivation of a championship meet; however, most schools have the opportunity to attend an invite and don their fast skins in December. Plus, you would be able to attend all of the fun pre-season traditions, such as running around the campus in nothing but tennis shoes and a swim suit.

Summers Abroad

Study-Abroad-Erin

Photo Courtesy: Erin Jenkins

Summer is a true pro/pro situation for most swimmers. Many college swimmers can admit that their summer training is not as intense as the school year, which works as an advantage when you want to travel abroad. Erin Jenkins, UPS swimmer in the class of ’19, chose the Madrid summer program because it allowed her to have a study abroad experience while not missing any of the swim season. It’s a fantastic opportunity for athletes to experience the world while not missing the crucial parts of the season, or missing any classes.

“Studying abroad teaches students a lot about themselves and gives them an abundance of opportunities to be independent in an unfamiliar environment. It also teaches them a lot about people in general and intercultural relationships,” Jenkins says. King agrees with her, advising to “absolutely go abroad! The memories you take away from that semester totally outweigh that extra two seconds in your 200 free. You will probably forget your 200 free time in ten years anyway, but you will never forget the memories you can make abroad.”

If you’re interested in studying abroad, be sure to talk to your coach, study abroad advisor and teammates who have had the experience. They will all have different words of wisdom about where, when and why you should go, and it will prove to be very helpful when you’re planning your travels.

In the end, study abroad is a fantastic opportunity that all students – including college athletes – should be able to experience. While they may not be swimming 10,000+ yards a day, it may be a fun new experience to swim a few miles in the Mediterranean Sea or to snorkel in the great barrier reef.

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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David Amato
5 years ago

Yes

Sarah
Sarah
5 years ago

Great topic that doesn’t get talked about enough!

Sarah Bray Ehrmantraut

Mara Selznick nice picture ?

Mara Selznick
5 years ago

teeheee

Addison
Addison
5 years ago

Good info

Karen Sing
5 years ago

They should study wherever the heck they want to.

Charlene Tallen
5 years ago

Go man go

Aby
Aby
5 years ago

Great article!:)

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