Who Are You? 4 Swimmer Personalities Found on the Pool Deck

Confident Look

Who Are You? 4 Swimmer Personalities Found on the Pool Deck

Swim meets are pretty much the ideal place to people watch. Every swimmer prepares to race fast completely differently. This can all depend on your personality, your meet lineup, or even what kind of day you’re having. Yet every swimmer has their own set of pre-race rituals, or just a way they tend to carry themselves on meet day. When evaluating all of this, you’ll notice that each swimmer falls under a category.  

The Nervous One

These types of swimmers are easy to spot from a mile away. How do I know this? Because I typically am one. The nervous type of swimmer is usually hanging out behind the blocks earlier than anyone else in their heat, and is probably fidgeting with their cap or goggles to give them something else to focus on. They could easily be the fastest one there, but you wouldn’t know it by their sheepish body language. This type of mentality can definitely get in the way of performing. However, after mastering the art of turning this nervous energy into adrenaline, you will notice yourself enjoying the sport and competition a lot more.

The Confident One

Some swimmers rely on a disguise or armor to showcase confidence before performing. Or they are just that confident. To those people, I give you props. However, the fake it till you make it attitude really works for some. Confidence can do wonders for swimming, and lots of swimmers rely on showcasing it on the deck to do well. When you believe you are the best one there, or at least tell yourself you are until you are forced to believe it, you have an advantage going into the race before it has even begun. In order to achieve this, some swimmers need to flaunt that self-assurance to believe it. Sound a bit like you? Welcome to the club.   

The Hype Man

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Photo Courtesy: Dan D’Addona

Chances are, you can name at least one person you prefer to be around before a race. If for some reason you can’t, you probably are that person for many. Everyone needs a teammate that truly roots for them, knows their goal times, and watches all their races, pumping them up for each one. These kinds of teammates are the swimmers that need to focus and cheer on other people’s races so they don’t have to worry about their own. The swimmers that do this literally race so well because they are so excited for their teammates instead. Then, when their race comes, they are not only filled with adrenaline, but their mind is in another place until the last minute. This approach means their body takes over during the race, instead of their mind. Of course, these types of swimmers do prioritize their own swimming, but they worry about other races in their spare time so they don’t spend any more time on their race than they should.

The Carefree One

Oh, to be a carefree swimmer on a pool deck, not worried about any of your races. These are actually the people you should keep an eye on. This breed of swimmer literally does not stress about their races in the slightest, and oddly enough, it pays off. Swimming minus  panic is a game changer. If you relate to this and consider yourself untroubled at swim meets, continue on with this mindset as long as you can. The rest of us are jealous of you. To spot a swimmer in this category, usually they are one of the last ones to mosey on over to the block before their heat, and are not in any rush to take off clothing or headphones either. Due to the fact they know the world will not end if they have a bad race, unlike some of us here, they are capable of trusting their abilities enough to let loose and just have fun competing. That is the secret weapon of anyone who thinks they belong in this group.

All swimming and dryland training and instruction should be performed under the supervision of a qualified coach or instructor, and in circumstances that ensure the safety of participants.

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Jennifer Frost Bower
3 years ago

Paige Bower

Mary McMahon
3 years ago

Duffy

Deborah Miller
3 years ago

Melissa Powell

Elizabeth Ryan
3 years ago

Holly Robinson well you definitely aren’t the last one ?

Holly Robinson
3 years ago
Reply to  Elizabeth Ryan

Elizabeth Ryan deffienlty not ??

Helen Martin
3 years ago

Confident one

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