What’s Your Choice? A List of Swimming Options

Michigan - This or That

What’s Your Choice? A List of Swimming Options

By Gigi Picard Swimming World College Intern

After a certain point in their career, swimmers develops their own preferences. During quarantine, This or That posts started floating around on social media. I even took part in my college swim team’s This or That. 

I want to know what you think about common swimming debates, so I created my own This or That. There are no right or wrong answers, only your choices. Go on and have fun! 

Warmup or Cool Down?

This can apply to either practices or meets. I prefer cool down when referencing meets because by the end of the meet, there might be fewer people swimming laps. Whereas, in warmup, everyone is crowded together and touching feet, which is a very big swimming pet peeve for me.

Clear Goggles or Mirrored Goggles?

Goggles n More Goggles

Standard Goggles Photo Courtesy: Goggles n More

This one is very tricky for me because it depends where I am. I tend to wear clearer goggles during practices and darker ones during meets. However, I find myself buying more and more mirrored goggles nowadays. So, my ultimate pick would probably be mirrored goggles with a bungee strap. 

Indoor or Outdoor Pools?

I am for indoor pools all the way. I do not have the best vision in the world, so it’s easier for me to see the clocks instead of squinting all the time in outdoor pools. Also, I’ve only ever trained in outdoor pools mainly during mornings, and I’m not a fan of running around a pool deck in a Jolyn to keep warm while lane lines are being put into the pool.

Water or Gatorade?

I always drink water because I feel more hydrated than when I drink Gatorade. There’s just something about the nice cool taste of water that keeps me coming back to it. 

7 a.m. Practice or 7 p.m. Practice?

morning-practice-sunrise2

Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers

While I am not a fan of waking up at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. to drive all the way to practice, I would rather have a 7:00 a.m. practice. I’ll get the rest of the day to myself! I can take a nap if I want to and get work done for school or for a job. 

Morning or Afternoon Meet Sessions?

I prefer afternoon sessions, but mainly because my swim meet preparation process of eating, packing, etc. takes a long time, and I don’t like getting up extra early in the morning so I can be on time for warmup. 

Watching Olympic Trials or Olympics?

This is definitely a hard pick for me to make because both of them are exciting. But if I had to choose one, I’d probably go with the Olympics since I get to watch swimmers from all over the world race their hearts out. 

Sprint or Distance?

I used to swim distance in high school, but I am choosing sprint on this one. In college, I switched over to shorter events like mid-distance and sprint free, and they ended up being better events for me. 

Sideline Cheering or Behind the Blocks/Lane Cheering?

Personally, I’m a sideline cheering person. I prefer sideline cheering because that way I can see coaching cues and teammates. I tend to break my focus and begin to laugh and smile during races when people cheer for me at the other end of the pool. Sometimes I even flip into long turns or miss easy walls.

Latex or Silicone Caps? 

I undoubtedly prefer silicone caps. Latex caps just feel weird to me, and I’ve found them harder to get on my head. They also stick together, and are super hard to pull apart and end up ripping and/or losing its color. 

Double or Single Cap?

I always wear a single cap. I’ve tried double capping, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me and I developed a fear of the top cap snapping off my head while on the blocks. I used to have nightmares about it. 

Parka or Towel?

While I love a nice soft towel to wrap myself into a burrito, I prefer my parka. I’ll admit I haven’t worn my club team parka in a while because I proudly sport my college team’s gear on deck. But, I always felt warmer than a single towel and finally had pockets to put my phone in while I crank up my music to block out the roaring crowds.

Eat My Bubbles Tattoos or No Tattoos?

I’m gonna go with tattoos. When I was a kid, I used to draw “Eat my bubbles” all over myself and my friends. I don’t tattoo myself like that anymore, but I do enjoy a nice Mount Holyoke swim and dive tattoo or even a blue paw to represent my Lyons. 

Bring Your Own Snacks or Concession Stands?

I prefer bringing my own snacks because I tend to be very picky and concessions doesn’t always have what I love like peanut butter bites, a specific kind of granola, Multi-Grain Cheerios and more. 

Butterfly or Any Other Stroke?

Without a doubt, I 100% am any other stroke. I am not a backstroker for sure, but I would rather do a 200 back than a 100 fly. I do admire all of the 200 flyers out there and the very brave 800 IMers. 

What do you think? Do you agree with me?

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x