With school starting, fall sports season begins to fire up. We all know about football because that is the sports people go to, to cheer on every Friday. However, the one sport that actually goes with theme and mascot of our school is a sport that isn’t fully recognized. Swimming. People believe swimming is a sport that isn’t hard and some people think swimming isn’t even a sport, to begin with. As a swimmer myself I believe we train harder than many other sports because we practice six days a week and have two practices a day every Wednesday. We do dryland almost every day and then swim 3+ miles during practice. Swimming is a physical, mental, and technical sport. Swimmers need to have the physical capabilities to be able to get themselves to and from the other ends of the pool, it is a mentally taxing sport because you have to always realize you can not give up and even though you think you need to breathe you know you shouldn’t because that would make the quality of the effort you are putting in sub-par. You have to know techniques in every sport, but in swimming, there are more that you need to adapt to and perfect to make your race worth the effort you have put in. Swimming is a sport that is underappreciated in my opinion, we all know who Michael Phelps is, yet do you actually watch everything he does and fully understand the concept and work ethic that he has to be the most decorated olympian in history? Swimming is a sport that consumes most of your time, like any other sport, however, it is very taxing as well. Swimming is a great way to meet new people and make new friends. Swimming is a great sport to join if you enjoy the team atmosphere without relying on them for winning or losing. Swimming is in the individual sport where you race against yourself and your own times. Swimming may be challenging, but there isn’t anything I would change because swimming can be stressful, yet it is proven to alleviate stress. If you are looking to choose a sport that is fun with a team atmosphere but without all the pressure of a team solely relying on you, then join swimming next season. We have amazing coaches for both varsity and junior varsity so you will feel welcome and enjoy swimming either way. The most challenging thing about swimming is balancing the work from school and the sport itself, however, when you get into a good rhythm everything works out and you are constantly in a good mood and feel better. If you aren’t a strong swimmer, but you are a strong gymnast we also have a diving team that can better suit your qualities. Remember to join swimming next season, boy’s swim season starts after girls so you can join then. It is a great sport. Roll Tides.

O.P