My kid swam in hs. A few times came in 3rd. Was pretty exciting to see him toward the front of the pack. Now that he’s just a recreational swimmer he looks like an awesome dolphin. really, just watching anyone explode across the water doing the butterfly or a really smooth freestyle is impressive, once you’re outside the competitive arena
I think he could’ve been really good if he tried and we’d pushed him hard when young but im pretty sure he would never have been great because he does not really want to win. i remember the first organized meet we took him to at a swim club in temecua, he came in last, and he was just swimming along at a recreational rate, no faster than his regular swimming at any time. we asked him what was up, and he just said he didn’t feel like rushing. he was justa little guy, maybe 11? 12? we were like, dude, IT WAS A RACE…he seemed to have missed the memo on that…
. co worker has a hs swimmer with some scholarships and the level of commitment the family had, to outside coaching, camps, non hs meets, driving distances to get there is intense and amazing.
One thing my kid always won was the training session contests where the coach would have them swim only underwater to see who could go furthest without breathing.
He’s amazing at that! Focused and calm and for some reason enjoyed practicing holding his breath. too bad it’s not an event. he would just glide back and forth in that giant pool, like some strange fish …creepy long time under there…
hs sports can motivate parents too. part of the reason I started lifting weights now that i think about it was jealousy over his beautiful back and shoulders from all that damn swimming. i felt like i was getting left behind……
