Member-only story
Summer Swim Team Memories
A chance for community after a year in isolation
Our local summer swim team spends eight weeks every summer in a neighborhood pool. The swimmers and their families spend their mornings and their evenings on the pool deck. The swimmers practice hard, cheer for each other, and drop time. Through a labor of love, the parents support their swimmers. They are forever in the background volunteering for meets, chauffeuring athletes to practice or meets, and cheering loudly for every swimmer whether they come in first or last.
We watch from afar as the coaches work hard to build community, one swimmer at a time. They encourage their swimmers to shake hands across the lane ropes with their competitors. The swimmers cheer for the other team and thank them for a good meet when it is all over.
While our swim team sits solidly in the bottom of the division for the local league, you can’t deny the heart the swimmers pour into their swimming. They approach every pep rally and team gathering with gusto.
The team reps work hard to provide opportunities for the swimmers to not only work hard but play hard, too. For example, one year, the team met off the pool deck and into the arena for several rounds of laser tag.
