For most people, swimming is an exciting sport every four years when the Olympics roll around. Others consider swimming a lifestyle. Swimming is waking yourself up at an ungodly hour to jump in a cold pool for the first of two times that day. It's following a black line at the bottom of a pool for thousands of yards just to drop half a second at your next meet. It's turning down Friday night plans because you have a 7 a.m. workout the next morning. Swimming is drive and dedication all wrapped into one. It's one of those sports that reaps lifelong rewards even after you decide to hang up the goggles. So for all you past and present swimmers out there, here are a few things we can all relate to:

1. "I can't. I have practice."

2. "No, I cannot just skip a day."

3. "Leave on the top!"

4. Setting your alarm for your 5 a.m. before school workout. *cue the tears*

5. Chlorine is actually perfume.

6. Stalking the internet for psych sheets is a perfectly acceptable way to "study" for your test tomorrow.

7. Not wearing too much or any makeup for fear of looking like a raccoon at practice later.

8. Guys wearing speedos is normal.

9. Inhaling massive amounts of pancakes or donuts after a Saturday workout is almost a tradition.

10. Big meets mean that it's time for a shaving party! Yes, the boys do it too.

11. Going everywhere with wet hair has become a social norm for you.

12. The eye-roll you feel like doing when your non-swimmer friends ask the "Did you win?" question. "I technically got fifth, but I dropped 10 seconds. That's awesome in case you didn't know."

13. Having a low-key rivalry with your lane buddies.

14. "If you touch my feet one more time and don't get in front of me, I will punch you in the face."

15. Prelim meet warm-up is actual hell on earth. May the odds be ever in your favor.

16. Final meet warm-up is like coming up for fresh air. People actually understand the concept of circle swim.

17. Buying the large dress instead of the medium dress because your shoulders are just too huge.

18. Thinking about what food would make this unbearable set worth the pain is sometimes the only thing that gets you through.

19. You own more Nike shorts and T-shirts than cute clothes.

20. Putting on a tech suit is a workout in itself. Spanx doesn't even come close.

21. Swimming is the only sport where a mother teaches her son to shave his legs before his father teaches him how to shave his face.

22. Before a meet, Subway is always the meal of choice. Essentially because it's the only thing you won't throw up.

23. Most importantly, you are blessed with a swimming family. They truly understand what is means to "just keep swimming."

So, it's a 365 day a year sport. Swimming is demanding, challenging, time-consuming and quite possibly the best sport on the planet. It's a sport where "I hate swimming" really translates to "I actually love swimming." To us, the sport doesn't become important every four years. Actually, it's been our entire world the whole time.