To My Swim Coaches,
The other day, I was at practice and I realized I've been swimming for ten years. TEN. FREAKING. YEARS. Not to get all sentimental, but I think that all of you deserve some recognition.
Let me start by saying I have legitimately HATED most of you at one time or another. I know that yelling at me is to make me go faster, and I know that every 200 fly I've ever swam was to make me stronger; however, IT STILL SUCKED. Now that I don't swim for you anymore, I appreciate it, but you should know, in that moment, I really contemplated how much trouble I would get in for drowning you.
When I first started swimming, I joined the winter team at a local rec center. When I started, I couldn't even swim the length of the pool. Eventually, I was put into a fifty fly, which is swimming fifty meters of the butterfly stroke. I really didn't want to swim it at all, but you made me. I placed first, got out of the pool, and started freaking out because I was so exhausted. Now butterfly is one of my best strokes. Throughout the years with my rec league coaches and team (I was 8 when I started so I think there were 5 years in all) I was taught the basics of swimming and how far a great support system of coaches and teammates could get me. To you I say thank you for a great start in something I have grown to have a strong passion for.
The summer was a stark contrast to the winter league. I went from being the fastest swimmer, in the fastest lane, at the fastest practice, on the fastest team to being the worst of the best. My summer team was full of year-round swimmers, people who sold their souls to swimming all year long. If anyone were to go to the Olympics, it would be these swimmers. Our team was the fastest (or at least in the top three of the highest division), but I was not. I also wasn't as close to the coaches. I had a group of friends, but I wasn't nearly as popular as I was on my winter team. This may seem like it would be a lot less fun and at times it was, but this is where I met Paul. Paul is probably the best swim coach I have ever had. He was the perfect mix of really nice and really harsh. He pushed swimmers in practice, but always made them feel better (while telling them what they could do better) after a bad race. He was also never afraid to give recognition to people who deserved it. Whether it was his co-workers or swimmers, he could always do something to make them feel special or just brighten their day. Unfortunately, we lost Paul this past year. He was one of the people who really made me fall in love with swim team, and who taught me to always push harder. I hope that everyone gets to have a coach like Paul, and I am so grateful for the time I got to have him as my coach.
Now that I'm in college and do club swimming, I somehow miss the grueling practices. Here in the club, it's your choice whether or not you swim a full set, and we're being coached by our peers. Not that that isn't really cool, or that my fellow swimmers aren't really good coaches (because they are) but I just miss your discipline (and encouragement). I know I fell out of touch with a lot of you. We're friends on Facebook, and I'll occasionally see that you moved somewhere cool or got engaged, but that's really it. Should you read this, I hope you know that even if we weren't close and aren't now, I appreciate the work you put into teaching kids to swim and to make them better.
To the others that became my co-workers and my friends, you know how much I value you. I don't think I have ever said thank you for being such a good coach and for introducing me to a sport that has completely taken over my life. So, thank you. Thank you for every event that you made me swim that I didn't want to. Thank you for every time you got me into the water at an 8am practice. And thank you for all the times now that you encourage me to keep swimming.
Remember how I couldn't even get across the pool when I started? I went to the pool the other day and swam a 200 fly just for fun. I know that's nothing special, but to me, that's pretty freaking awesome, and I couldn't have done it without all of you. So really, thanks.
Love, Peyton
