Dear high school swim team,
As you finish off another wonderful swim season, here is my advice to the seniors who just finished their final season in high school. But before you go and enjoy that, take a moment to think about swim season, college and the time in between.
I would trade anything in the world just to be back in the pool with the group of girls I call my family. You taught me a lot about what it means to be on a team and a lot about myself. Here's a list I accumulated to share my thoughts on what it was like to be a college student cheering on my high school team, and some thoughts to ponder as you go on your way:
You never really stop swimming, no matter how hard you try: If you know how to swim, chances are you will, at some point, become a lifeguard, and that requires swimming. So even though you have stopped competitively swimming, you are still in the pool in some way, shape, or form.
You become a professional Facebook stalker to keep up with everyone’s lives: I’ll admit it, I did go through a lot of the team’s photos just to see what everyone was doing. It made me think about the “good ole days” when I was in high school T-P-ing the senior’s house and then throwing shaving cream all over each other.
You don’t miss the days of having ice on your shoulders 24-7: If there is one thing I don’t miss, it is spending time in the trainer’s room. No one likes going to the trainer’s room to get ice. It makes your coach mad and it isn’t an excuse to get out of practice (trust me, I tried). I am very happy to be done with my days of having an aching body, sore shoulders, and two-a-day practices, and you will be too. But take advantage of what great shape you are in because that goes away fast.
Waking up “early” in college isn’t as hard as you thought: After having to wake up so early for practice, 7:30 is sleeping in, and it feels great. I have definitely started to prefer having my classes in the morning because it makes my life so much easier. I recommend you sign up for early classes since you are already used to it.
You will miss the team camaraderie: A lot of people I know who played sports in high school, miss being on a team. It is great to have a family that you can escape to for a few hours a day. Nothing is more fun than playing the sport you love with the people you love. It is one of the greatest feelings in the entire world, and I am happy that I have found a team in which I can continue having camaraderie in my life. I recommend finding some sort of sport or club that welcomes you for you.
Keep swimming: I know how hard it was this season, but stay in the pool because of the health benefits, and how great of a stress-reliever it is. You get an hour and a half to just swim and think about life and get your thoughts in order. It helps during those first few weeks of college when you feel overwhelmed and scared.
Stay in touch with you teammates: They have seen you at your best, and they have seen you at your worst. They understand you, and they love laughing with you. I don’t know where I would be without my teammates from high school. I am lucky to have found such great friends, and when you find great friends, don’t lose them. Write them letters too, they love it!
Even the hard sets end: If there is anything I learned from swimming, it is just that. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate saying for your first semester in college. There are going to be hard days, just like there are hard sets, but they always end and chances are you'll get to do a 200 cool down after. It is always worth going through a hard set just for the cool down. Just like in life, it is always worth going through a rough day because there is a better day ahead.
For those who just finished their season, congratulations! I hope that it was your best season and that you did well. Good luck to those swimming (or playing any sport in college), you will absolutely love it. Have fun in this next semester of high school, it goes by very quickly so enjoy it.
For those of you still in high school, it goes by fast so enjoy your swim season. Swim hard, swim fast, and have fun. It isn’t as bad as you think and remember: Even the hard sets end.
