Pretending

Swimming has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm not even on a high school team anymore. My team consists of 30ish people, on a college inter-mural team.....pretending like they know what they're doing. Most of them have never even been on a swim team before. They just think they know how to "swim". They do not have ANY concept of what it's like to be devoted to swimming. All they know is that they go to two practices a week and optional drylands.
Meets are an even bigger joke. There's no real pressure...so people don't give it their all. The starter doesn't have any clue what's going on, and neither do the "officials". You can warm up in lanes that aren't being used in a race, and they have a cannonball contest during the break.

The heart is not there, the passion is missing. The pain and exhaustion from working so hard has never even been touched. And because so much is missing, the feeling of family...love...and unconditional friendship is also missing.

And so many of them will never know what it's like to really SWIM. To get up on the block and know that you are only racing you....

To swim for your team, your coaches...and yourself. To know your whole team is watching you and there will always be someone to pull you out at the end.

To leave it all in the water. No second thoughts, and push through the pain. After all, who needs oxygen?

And only the ones who have experienced real swimming, will be able to appreciate some of my favorite quotes.

"Being on that block is the most amazing feeling, bent down, finger tips on the edge of the cement, eyes closed, breathing deeply, waiting for the deep voice telling you to take your mark. Once you hear his voice, you automatically go into that tight stance. Waiting. Waiting. It seems like hours even though its only seconds. Then once you hear the beginning of that electric beep, your arms fly forward you open your eyes and jump as high and as far as your legs can take you. You bend your body down and dive into the water. The feeling, for that split second, in midair is amazing and indescribable."

"I can't fly, but swimming is the next best thing.... The water is my sky."

"Push through the pain, it will be worth it later."

"We do more flips in an hour than cheerleaders do in a lifetime"

"If you can get out of the pool without help you didn't do your best.""

"People don’t swim because it’s fun. Ask any swimmer...most of them hate it, but couldn’t imagine life without it. It's a part of them, the love/hate relationships, it’s what they live for. They live for the practices, parties, cheers ,long bus rides, meets, countless pairs of goggles, water, gatorade and the coaches you hate but appreciate. THE COACHES YOU HATE BUT APPRECIATE. They live for the way it feels when you beat the other team by a few points, and you know those two extra sprints you swam in practice were worth it. They live for the way you become a family with your team, they live for the countless songs you sing in your head while your swimming all those laps. They live for the competition, they live for the friends, the practices, the memories, the pain, its who they are. its who we are... Swimmers."