Hello all! I apologize that I haven't had the chance to post these past few days, it has been a whirlwind of a week that's for sure! I am currently residing up in Rochester, NY, swimming at the UNYSCSA Swimming and Diving State Championships at Webster High School. And what an amazing two days it has been so far!
To give a little background on the meet, it is a four day championship based on the format of the NCAA National Championships. Speaking of, very exciting news: we've had a couple of relays qualify for the National B cut! That basically means that they are up for National Championship meet qualification, based on how many individuals/teams make the automatic A cut (it's kind of a complicated process and the numbers have changed a bit this year, so I won't go into it too much). But let's just say that it was a very exciting first few days (and a VERY exciting night session tonight!), so we are pumped to see all of the hard work the team has put in all season continue to pay off!!
And this is where I realize that it is very difficult to explain the sport of swimming. There's so much about it that if you're not a swimmer or somehow affiliated with the sport, it is next to impossible to understand the very nature of swimming. I guess that holds true for most athletics, but I feel as if our sport is specifically very difficult to completely understand. It's like, if you've never swam a true practice, never competed in a meet, never been forced to hold your breath while working out, never shaved and tapered, never put on a swim cap correctly, never been a part of a team, never had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to work out and then come back for another 2.5 hours in the afternoon to do it again, never felt so tired that you could barely move, never had to squeeze into one of the "super-suits," never competed in the championships (the list could go on and on...), you never can quite understand what swimmers go through on a daily basis.
Maybe some day, I will write a blog post (more likely, a book...there's just so much to say!) about swimming. Or my experiences as a swimmer. I can whole-heartedly say that I would not be the same person I am today if it were not for the sport of swimming. And so, as much as it hurts during and after a week of doubles or training trip, as much as we are glad for every breath we are allowed to take (something to be grateful for? only a swimmer is), and as much as waking up before the crack of dawn while you're in college tends to make the experience somewhat different than what the regular college kid goes through, that feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself--the team--and swimming in the State or National Championships, is just couple of reasons that we "just keep swimming." It is a sport. But it also a lifestyle.
So, I really can't describe the experience in just so few words. And I will not try, for now at least. But know that Union Swimming and Diving is doing amazing things this week and representing "U" pretty darn well at the State Championships. Good stuff!
Well, I hope that all is well back on the Union campus and that the Founder's Day celebrations went well today. It is most definitely past the bedtime of a swimmer...but we have the chance to sleep in tomorrow and rest up, so I am glad to have the chance to catch up a bit! From Rochester, New York, well wishes and a good night!
Note: To follow the State results live, see here!
PS Pictures of the meet to come soon!!
No comments:
Post a Comment