Courtesy of Donna Hale
It is 4 a.m. and most of the world is fast asleep under a warm and toasty blanket. The darkness all around is somewhat serene as a morning ritual begins for thousands of athletes and their sleep deprived parents as they guzzle coffee, hunt for dry towels and stumble out the door. If you understand this scene you are no doubt the parent of a swimmer. Even the dog gives you a funny look as you head out into the darkness again: a ritual that seems as normal as brushing your teeth or checking your email. You are also one of the lucky ones. You are the parent of a swimmer. Swimmers are special in ways that only swim families truly appreciate. Here are just a few reasons why.
No other sport requires such dogged determination. If your child can embrace this ritual they can do anything and are already on their way to an amazing life. Neither, rain, sleet, nor tired muscles keep them under the covers. The water is calling and there are dreams to chase and goals to reach.
The sacrifices to swim at an elite level are hard. Few teens can do it. There are missed parties. Movies you won’t see until your precious summer break. All of this to swim back and forth between two lane lines with your closest friends. There is no such thing as cold water. Your child takes ice baths for fun.
The drive to succeed comes from within. You gotta want it bad. There is no time to sob over a bad race or a missed cut. There is no one to blame. Sure you have coaches and teammates to inspire and support. But at 4 am it is just you and the water. You better love it or it will feel like an endless grind. Well it might feel like that anyway. But you march on.
Food is your best friend. No half a grapefruit for you. Pasta is more comforting than chocolate. You regularly consume two dinners. And your parents complain that the grocery bill is skyrocketing. A trip to the grocery store is like a vacation to the tropics.
There are very few good hair days. Sure you get spiffed up for a special dance you have to leave early from because you have practice. But the signature swimmers bun is the style of choices. Your friends don’t recognize you in real clothes.
Most of all, swimmers live their passions. It’s a sport you cannot understand unless you’re one of them. But as a parent you know that your child is special. And you see the life lessons play out every day. We swim parents, we are the lucky ones.
Donna Hale has been a swim mom for 12 years as well as executive of several nonprofit organizations. She volunteers regularly for her daughter Hannah’s USA Team The Potomac Marlins, summer team Burke Station Destroyers, and Lake Braddock Swim and Dive Bruins.
So true, Donna! Very well written and hits the mark perfectly. We and our swimmers are a special group indeed!