People don’t swim because it's fun. Ask any swimmer, most of them hate it, but they couldn’t imagine their life with out it. It's part of them, it's something they live for. They live for the 5 a.m practices, pasta parties, cheers, long bus rides, invitationals, countless swim caps, chlorine, and coaches you hate, but appreciate later. They live for the way it feels when you beat the person next to you by a tenth of a second and you know those 2 extra laps you did in practice were worth it. It's the feeling you get at the end of a hard practice, when you've pushed yourself to the limits, and it's the way the water feels when get back in after time off, it's knowing that you don't have to shave for months at a time, and thinking of 7:00 am practice as sleeping in. It's muscle cramps, swimmers ear, and many practices a week. It's when your coach knows you better than your father, and your teammates are your brothers and sisters. It's seeing everyone else cheer you on during a race, and knowing your team is behind you. It's borrowing caps and sharing shampoo, and it's hearing people at school say "It must be a swimmer thing”. It's a collection of T-shirts and ribbons, and not really being able to put into words how the meet went. It's knowing that you got up and did something you love, and something you hate, and something you can't really explain. It's the way you walk, and the way you talk. It's something that no one else really understands because they haven't felt the feeling you get every time you step up on the blocks, that swimming isn't just a sport... It's all the friends and coaches over the years, all the practices and inside jokes, all the memories, all the fun times and all the road trips. But it’s also swimming for pride and honor. It’s the pain, sweat and tears it takes to make the cuts. It’s sacrificing everything, your body, your time, your sweat and your tears. It's knowing how it feels to win, but also how it feels to lose, to want to cry, to want to never get up. But it's also never quitting because your life would be empty without it. Because swimming is more than just a sport...
