For some people, the end of May always meant the beginning of barbecues and beach season. For others, it meant something else: the start of the summer swim season. It meant the smell of chlorine in your hair, the phrase "eat my bubbles" written in pen by a friend on your back, and weekly meets with fierce rivalries. From the cheesy chants to the first place ribbon collections, here are some of the signs you were on a summer swim team:
1. You wrote your event, heat and lane info on your arm or the back of your hand.
And your mom probably yelled at you and said that you'd get ink poisoning. But hey, at least if you had no clue where you were supposed to go you could just show someone your arm and they'd direct you to the right spot!
2. Time trials were basically the Polar Bear Plunge.
Who in their right mind jumps into a freezing cold pool in May? Oh right, we did. Every year.
3. Whenever you won a ribbon, you tucked into the strap of your bathing suit to show it off. Or if you were a ten-year-old boy, you tried to get it to stick to your chest.
And you still have a collection of all of your ribbons somewhere at home.
4. This was always your reaction when you found out you were in a relay.
5. But this was your reaction when you had to swim the 100 IM.
6. All of your siblings were on the team with you.
It becomes a family tradition.
7. All of your friends would stand at the end of your lane during a race and cheer for you.
It was key to master the art of cheering at the exact moment a person was coming up for air.
8. At every practice, you begged the coaches to let you play water polo or sharks and minnows.
And sometimes you were more competitive during a water polo game than you were at an actual meet. #priorities
9. You have one of these pictures somewhere in your house.
10. You lived for ice cream night, taco night, or pretty much any night where there was free food.
And you never skipped practice on those days because of it.
11. After a long meet, you couldn't wait to get your hair out of that cap.
It was truly liberating.
12. You had a cheesy cheer that you did for good sportsmanship to congratulate the other team after a meet.
" Potato chip, potato chip, munch munch munch, who do we think is a mighty fine bunch?"
13. You look back at those summers fondly and miss the end of season banquets, the races, your teammates, and yes, even swimming the strokes you hated.
But you're thankful for all the great memories.
