JUNIOR SWIMMER
GOLDMINDS
10 GREAT REASONS TO
GET BACK IN THE POOL S
o...let’s say you’ve been out of the water for a while. In the meantime, you’ve suddenly discovered the joys of sleeping in. You’ve experienced what life is like without the stress of constantly chasing qualifying times for your next big meet. You’ve found out what it’s like to be “normal”...and you love it! Maybe you’re even starting to think, “Mmm...I might just keep on feeling ‘normal’ again!” Well, before you decide to take a very long—or even “permanent”—break from swimming, here are 10 great reasons to get back in the pool. (Even if you’re not thinking of taking a break from swimming, these 10 reasons also serve as positive reinforcement to stay right where you are—in the pool!) 1. FITNESS There’s nothing like feeling fit! You feel unbeatable. You stay healthier. Little challenges in life seem insignificant because you’re stronger, you have more endurance, and you can bounce through the day with unlimited energy and enthusiasm. 2. FRIENDS Swimming friends are friends for life. Ask a former swimmer about what they miss the most about the sport, and without hesitation, they will say, “My swimming friends.” The most enduring friendships often come when people have trained together, faced challenges together and have overcome those trials...together.
special. There’s nothing like it. You feel like your flying through the water! That feeling is waiting there at your local pool for you to rediscover. 5. SETTING GOALS AND ACHIEVING THEM Goal setting is an essential element of success in all areas of life. School success, work success, financial success—all depend on setting goals and working hard to achieve them. Swimming is one place where you learn all about setting goals, reaching goals and how to overcome setbacks and challenges in the pursuit of your goals. 6. LEARNING ABOUT YOURSELF One wonderful thing about swimming is that it provides opportunities for you to learn about YOU! Sometimes it takes a few setbacks to learn how good you are at overcoming adversity. To learn how well you perform when you’re tired, you need to go through some times when you’re fatigued and when that proverbial “gas tank” is on empty. Swimming provides you with moments when you feel like you can’t keep going, when you’re tired, when you’re under pressure... and yet, you and your coach and your teammates somehow find ways to get through it and still perform to your potential.
3. YOUR COACH Remember that crazy person who really cares about you who stands at the end of the pool yelling stuff about streamlining, not breathing on your last stroke and other stuff like that? Well, they’re still there yelling the same crazy stuff—and they can’t wait to see you and help you be all you can be. If there’s one person who can inspire you to love swimming again, it’s your coach.
7. BUILDING PERSONAL QUALITIES AND VALUES Swimming at the Olympic Games won’t necessarily give you wonderful personal qualities and values such as commitment, integrity, honesty, respect and courage. However, having those personal qualities and living a life based on those values—combined with a little talent and some hard work—will get you to the Olympics and will support and sustain you in every area of your life. Who you are determines what you achieve—not the other way around! Training consistently in a good swimming program and learning to compete to the best of your ability helps you to learn what it takes to bring out your best when and where it matters.
4. “THAT” FEELING Retired swimmers often talk about how sad it is to lose “that” feeling: the feeling of flowing easily and effortlessly in water. It is
8. LEARNING NEW THINGS Life is learning. Former Australian Olympic head coach, the late Don Talbot,
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AUGUST 2021
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
[PHOTO BY MATT RUBEL PHOTOGRAPHY ]
BY WAYNE GOLDSMITH
