How Club Sports Helped Me Love Swimming Again
Swimming has been my everything for most of my life. I was floating in the water before I could walk, and swimming competitively since I was nine years old. However, by the time I started college I felt burnt out and was not sure if I saw a future in swimming. My life and schedule had been dictated by the sport for so long that I had forgotten what it was like to sleep in on the weekends and not be sore all the time. I had been pushing myself to the limit in search of success only to feel underwhelmed by the results. When I was younger I had dreamed of swimming for UC Berkeley and going to Olympic Trials wearing Berkeley’s gold and blue, so it felt weird to go to Berkeley knowing I’d only ever watch swim meets from the stands. That also saddened me a little when I first arrived on campus. In the beginning, I was convinced that I would not compete in swimming again.
For the first few months I did not miss the pool. It felt amazing to have time to see friends and be able to sleep in on the weekends. My hair finally stopped having a light tint of chlorine green and my skin was not dry anymore. But something felt off with me, like there was a piece of my identity missing without swimming. A few months into my freshman year I started to get the itch to swim again and it became an urge I couldn’t ignore. I knew that I needed to get back into the pool, but this time I wanted to focus on regaining my love for swimming.
I found this opportunity in college club swimming. On the club team I could decide how often I wanted to practice and compete. Joining the team allows me to have control over my training, make new friends, and enjoy swimming. Finally being able to dictate my own swim schedule has helped me fall in love with the sport again. I look forward to practicing and miss the pool when I can’t swim.
Going to swim meets with the Berkeley swim club have been some of my favorite memories in college so far. Racing against other teams and cheering on my teammates helped me regain the part of my identity that I felt was missing. I get to be competitive and race without the pressure I used to feel at every swim meet. Don’t get me wrong I love to win, but for me that is not what swimming is about anymore. It is about finding joy in a place where I feel the most comfortable and confident in myself. Experiencing that feeling with the college club team was so important for my transition into college. Starting college can be difficult, but continuing with something you love and having that consistency can be very helpful. I am so happy I took a second chance on swimming and continued competing in college.