﻿{"id":501673,"date":"2022-04-01T05:32:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T12:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=501673"},"modified":"2022-04-01T05:32:39","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T12:32:39","slug":"how-swimming-changed-my-life-and-the-merits-of-being-a-swimmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-swimming-changed-my-life-and-the-merits-of-being-a-swimmer\/","title":{"rendered":"How Swimming Changed My Life (And The Merits Of Being a Swimmer)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>How Swimming Changed My Life (And The Merits Of Being a Swimmer)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I was younger, I tried nearly every sport, searching for the one I would fall in love with. Looking back, I realize why nothing felt right.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I never felt like I belonged in any of the other, non-swimming, sports. I wasn\u2019t loud or aggressive and I didn\u2019t really form any connection with my teammates. Also, I didn\u2019t really remember any of the practices I participated in, because they weren\u2019t all that fun for me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eventually, I started to wonder if, maybe, I just wasn\u2019t supposed to play a sport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At least until I joined my first swim team in fifth grade. That first year, I was 10 years old and wanted to try something new. I had no idea at the time how much this new, strange sport would affect my life.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, now I know just how lucky I was! Through swimming, I gained new friends, confidence, and purpose. I also learned how to be a supportive teammate and how to lift up others and cheer for them during tough races.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not once in my life have I looked back and missed basketball, soccer, or softball. However, if I were to lose swimming, I\u2019d mourn the loss of something special, unique, and beautiful. Something that made me who I am today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swimming really does have the power to change lives. It certainly has changed mine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The Merits of Swimming and The Importance of Good Leadership<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the best aspects of the sport of swimming is the idea that everyone can lift up and support one another. It\u2019s not like other sports, where only a set number of players take the field at a time. In swimming, everyone has a chance to play. Swimmers are racing their old selves as much as they are racing opponents in the lane next to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This makes it easy for everyone to have a place on the swim team. It also makes it easy to find friends or people to look up to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I first joined my YMCA swim team, I found a few great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/who-should-young-swimmers-role-models-be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">role models<\/a> to look up to.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Merriam-Webster defines the term role model as, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was one girl, in particular, who I eventually chose as my role model. She personified everything I love about swimming and was friendly, fun, and supportive of those around her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She came to practice every single day and even did extra dryland workouts in order to make herself the best swimmer she could be. Even if she didn\u2019t realize it, her constant presence at practice set a good example for the younger swimmers and her energy in the locker room made the time we spent at meets more fun.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She helped me to understand how vital coming to practice can be. Even in the early mornings or late afternoons, every hour can help a swimmer\u2019s body become stronger and more able to reach their full potential. Practice can also help to relax those who become too stressed or worried during the day.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The older girl\u2019s example and leadership truly helped to make my years of YMCA swimming enjoyable. It also shaped my first two years of high school swimming in a wholly positive way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What I have come to learn through my &#8211; now going on seven &#8211; years of swimming is that the swimming world is filled with many people like her. Even the great Olympians find time to cheer for one another. Almost every team I\u2019ve come across has had their own jokes and experiences and bonds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swimming just seems to have a way of bringing people <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">together<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And it makes the many hours of practice much more bearable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>A Lifelong Sport<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ll be honest, I\u2019ve considered not swimming in college. I\u2019ve considered it many different times. Sometimes, it was because I was frustrated at practice or upset about school. Sometimes, I simply just wanted to be <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">done <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with chasing after times and devoting free time to a sport when I had other, more academic prospects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, every time the thought vanishes after a few hours of consideration. As my junior year of high school draws to a close, I\u2019m beginning to understand that there are a few things I must carry with me into college. Swimming is one of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The nice thing about swimming is that there are always options available for those who want to continue with it. Club and Masters swim teams welcome anyone who wishes to join them, regardless of ability level. There are also many college teams who will gladly open their doors for hardworking individuals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swimming doesn\u2019t have to stop. And I don\u2019t think I ever want it to, after all it has done for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only advice I have for young swimmers is to \u201cjust keep swimming.\u201d You never know where it might take you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Swimming Changed My Life (And The Merits Of Being a Swimmer) When I was younger, I tried nearly every sport, searching for the one I would fall in love<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36539,"featured_media":333541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,122607],"tags":[53804,130617,11698,68985,142,736],"class_list":["post-501673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-swim-life","tag-benefits","tag-feelgood","tag-role-model","tag-story","tag-swimming","tag-swimming-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is 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