For The Love Of Swimming | The Odyssey Online
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For The Love Of Swimming

I thank you for all the good times and great memories.

Ana Johnson
Mar 01, 2016
Centenary College of New Jersey
26
For The Love Of Swimming
Ana Johnson

Dear Swimming,

You never were a sport I thought I would enjoy, but now that I look back on it; I’m extremely happy I do. You have taught me a lot about myself, and about life. For example, you taught me that life is one big swim meet. There are some good races (like the 200 free relays that everyone enjoys), and there are also some bad races (like the 500 freestyle that everyone dreads). The meet proves that there is good and bad in life, and just like the meet, life moves on.

Next, you taught me how to believe in myself. If I don’t believe in myself, how can anyone else?

The next thing you taught me was that the teammates I had were like a family. Absolutely nothing got past my teammates, and if anything did, it was not a pretty sight to see. There were days where I would look forward to practice because I was stressed out about something at school or something at home. Swimming, you were my therapy; I knew that I could go to practice and leave all my stresses and worries in the water where they belonged. You taught me some things about life and myself, but you also taught me to cherish the memories I made with my teammates.

Joining the swim team made me feel better about myself, and taught me to be ok with myself. There were many gossip circles at pasta night with my teammates, where we would sit around and talk about anything that happened in school that day. There were many funny moments with my teammates: pushing our coach into the pool, the seniors jumping into the pool at our last home meet of the season, and the amount of ice cream we would eat on a trip to Friendly’s at one of the last practices of the season (this was the day we looked forward to the most). I will cherish the moments I had with you, because you were definitely my saving grace. You came to me when I needed you the most.

Swimming, you have definitely changed my life for the better. It's not because of the times I had or the coaches I had, but because of the lifelong friends I made and memories I have with the people I met. These memories come from dancing on the pool deck before a meet, laughing because someone had a REALLY bad start, or from someone doing really well and we were all cheering for them in the end. I enjoyed being a part of a team and something I have called home for six years. Now I am in college, and I miss you very much. You will always have a very special place in my heart.

Sincerely,

A Swimmer

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