The Phases of Swimming: From Lessons to Retirement

The Phases of Swimming: From Lessons to Retirement

By Erin Himes, Swimming World College Intern

In the normal life cycle of a career, there are a few phases of swimming most of us go through. While the incredibly talented turn swimming into a career after college, many conclude their competitive career there. Each phase of swimming along the way is categorized by a number of things that make it special. Let’s take a look at the important moments in most swimming careers.

Lessons

You may not remember this clearly, but it is likely your parents do. You were either a screaming child who hated the water or you couldn’t be pulled away. Regardless, the best part of this phase is that it got you into the sport you continued!

Summer League

Often the next step, summer league is characterized by sunny days, snack bar food, and post-meet sleepovers with your friends. This is what made swimming fun and gave you those team values that you likely carried with you from here on out. Summer league has all of the perks of swimming, like team building and racing, without as much of the terribly hard training, which is an obvious plus.

Age Group

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If you really loved summer league, you might’ve started to swim for a club team. This starts off as equally fun with more competition and quickly begins to fill all of your time. Age group swimming introduces you to some of the best people and makes swimming a core value in your world. This is likely where you began to learn how much you could eat after a hard practice.

Senior Age Group

Photo Courtesy: Donna Nelson

The elite levels of club swimming deserve a category of their own because if you made it here it means you didn’t waver at the temptations of playing another sport. At this point, it’s gotten serious and your teammates and coaches are your family. This is worth it for the great friendships you make and the amount of pasta you feel justified to consume. The intensity of club has its ups and downs, but proves itself to be worth it every year.

High School Team

Photo Courtesy: Brian O’Mahoney Twitter @OMahoneyPhoto

Balanced in tandem with club, high school season brings about some of those same values that summer league once instilled. Although more intense, the competition reminds you why you love to swim, as does the amount of team building. The bonding and camaraderie that high school swimming can provide allows a nice breather a few times a week from the intensity of club.

College

Photo Courtesy: Chuckarelei / Pac-12

College takes the intensity of club swimming and the team competition and bonding of high school and throws them together. Everything is heightened, in the best way. The stakes are higher, but the friendships much stronger. It’s hard to not bond with a teammate while doing everything together, from downing coffee before your 10 am class to waking up at 5 AM to get on a bus to a meet.

Retirement

Photo Courtesy: AJ Block

With the end of competition, the possibilities for how to continue your swimming career are endless. Some choose masters swimming, others begin triathlons, and others never want to get back in the water ever again. Whatever your take, swimming will always be there to fall back on.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.