The View From Behind the Basket (AKA – The Best Birthday Present Ever)

In the summer of 2011, at the age of 9, I began swimming with a local summer league team. I quickly knew I had found my passion, and quit my other activities to focus on swimming.  My passion for the sport has only increased over the past three seasons. So I was thrilled when, for my eleventh birthday, my parents arranged for me to volunteer as a “basket kid” at the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship.  I was going to get to be on the deck with the swimmers I watch on TV and read about on SwimSwam and in “Splash.” It was a dream come true! I wasn’t really sure what to expect. So far, the biggest meet I had ever been to was the Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championship I had competed in a few weeks earlier.  But I was positive it would be an experience I would never forget.

Abby Brown looks on as Allison Schmitt prepares behind the blocks.

My first night volunteering was the first night of finals. After a brief orientation, the other youth volunteers and I were led out to our designated area. As I walked onto the pool deck of the IUPUI Natatorium, the first things I noticed were the “Wall of Champions” and the banners hanging from the ceiling. So many Olympians swam in that pool! Before I could read all of the names, my attention shifted to the roar coming from the warm-up pools. A roar I am very familiar with, the roar that comes from strong, hard, powerful swimming. As I watched the swimmers warm up, I realized that their warm up sets were very similar to mine, but their warm-up speed was my racing speed!

As I settled into my position behind the blocks with my basket, I was able to look around the natatorium even more. There were large banners for the competing teams hanging in front of the bleachers. Behind each banner sat a large block of fans for that team. These fans were unlike any other swim fans I had ever seen. Decked out in their team colors, they were waving signs, shaking shakers, and leading team cheers. These fans were cheering on their team with a passion you usually only see at football games. My heart swelled with joy to think that my sport, which many of my friends don’t understand, has some great fans.

Before I knew it, warm ups were over, and a voice boomed over the loudspeaker announcing that the meet was about to begin.  The swimmers filed in, led by another youth volunteer.  Each went to their lane; took off their parka, and shoes; placed them in the basket; and went to stand behind the blocks. The crowd roared as each swimmer’s name and team were announced, and continued to cheer as the climbed up onto the blocks. As soon as the “get set” call came, the natatorium went completely silent. I had no idea that many people could get quiet so quickly! Immediately after the swimmers dove in, however, the roar of the crowd returned with a vengeance.

This is the pattern that repeated throughout both of my nights volunteering. The swimmers would come out, drop their belongings in my basket, and I would carry them to a designated bench after the race began. A simple task, yes, but I got to meet so many amazing swimmers – Allison Schmitt, Rachael Bootzma, Elizabeth Bisel, Breeja Larson, Caitlin Leverenz, and even Lindsey Benko! I about died when I wished Allison Schmitt “good luck”, and she actually replied, “thank you!”  And later during the meet, after Georgia’s 800 Free relay team had been awarded their trophies, she gave me a thumbs up, in return to my smile.

Abby Brown hard at work a the women’s NCAA Championships

Over the course of my two days volunteering, a funny thing happened. No these amazing women didn’t start swimming slower. And their almost-perfect stroke form didn’t suddenly become sloppy. The change was in how I saw them. At the beginning of the meet, they seemed larger than life, after all, I had watched many of them compete in London as part of the U.S. Olympic team. However the longer I spent on the deck, the more I realized that, deep down, they were girls who had fallen in love with the sport of swimming, just like me. They did the same things my friends and I do at meets – they warm up the same way; they do arm circles and jump up and down to stay loose behind the blocks; they cheer their teammates on during relays; and they celebrate great swims with hugs and smiles. Our abilities may be different, but at the core, we are the same. They were once age group swimmers like me, and one day I will be an elite swimmer like them. We are part of a family that spans the globe.  We are sisters. We are swimmers.