Courtesy of Lindsey Fano.
Why do you swim?
This question, that at first glance seems easy enough, actually proves to be a little harder to answer. Maybe you’ve never given it much thought. You swim because you always have, no questions asked. Maybe the question “why do you swim” is a difficult one because it is a constantly evolving answer. It depends on the day. Or maybe the answer is too difficult to contain in a few short words.
What word is sufficient enough to capture your feeling of getting a PR or cheering a teammate to success? Words can’t do those moments justice.
Regardless, the question needs an answer. An answer will provide a meaning behind our training, a method to our madness, a reason to keep going.
For me, I swim to compete, to push my body and mind to limit and then go past that. I swim because staring at the black line is the best form of therapy I know. I can find both mental sanity and insanity in repeating sets of 100s.
I swim for my teammates, my family and my coaches.
Swimming builds a bond that is not easily diminished and I swim because of that. I swim because it keeps me healthy. It makes me strong. I swim because that means I can eat pasta and always claim I’m carb-loading. I am a swimmer because it teaches me more about myself than anything ever has. I value hard work and dedication and that’s why I swim. I swim because I love watching the Olympics and taking pride in saying I’m in the same sport as Missy Franklin. I swim for those moments of success and those “top of the world” feelings on the podium. I swim to win and for the lessons I learn when I lose. Team cheers, relays, and the 100 IM are reasons why I swim. And, most importantly, I swim because it’s my passion. It makes me feel alive and excited and I want to share it with everyone I know. I swim because I love to swim.
What’s your reason?
I’ve been swiming since I was very little, and now that I’m older, I swim because is my life, my way to feel emotions and my way to learn
Because its what makes me feel free and strong
To paraphrase Stevie Nicks: You say I have everything
Well, I’m living on dreams and chains
But, I swim for the things that money can’t buy.
I swim for the joy, to see the world and meet people.
I swimm because is the way I take the stress away, there’s nothing like training after a hard day at college and a very long day at my part time job. I swimm because I was told I was never gonna swimm like a boss since I started swimming at 21. I swimm because it allows me to enhance discipline towards every context of my daily life. But most important I swimm because I like to feel like water.
I swim because every time I want to quit, i remind myself I want to be in the Olympics
Because I was told I never would again. When I had my first of three knee surgeries I was told I’d never swim again. I went to college the year ofter my last surgery. There a met my new coach who taught me if I wanted to swim bad enough I needed you push myself to do it. So here I am, a college swimmer.
How about I wanted to be somebody and having your lane to yourself you didn’t have to deal with an opponent.