ONE
We can do impressive amounts of sit-ups in gym class. Girls, use this to your advantage. Always bet the non-swimmer boys you can beat them. You probably can.
TWO
Waking up for school? No big deal. It’s a cup of tea compared to our summer training schedule.
THREE
You know what they say about a swimmer’s body, “Hottie lamottie with a swimmer’s body.” Enough said.
Nathan Adrian, & Anthony Ervin, (Photo Credit: Tim Binning)
FOUR
Our addition and subtraction skills must be fantastic at this point, what with all the splits you calculate during practice! (Okay, maybe not mine…but they’re improving.)
PaceWatch (courtesy of Brilliant Swim)
FIVE
We burn 3,000+ calories a day. We’re basically machines, and we get to eat all of those calories afterwards.
SIX
Taper. Non-swimmers don’t have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of taper, and who would want to miss out on that?
SEVEN
People are fascinated by our sport. “So, you swim, are you like Michael Phelps?”
Michael Phelps (courtesy of Paul Younan)
EIGHT
Knowing other swimmers. I have yet to meet a swimmer I don’t like. In my (totally unbiased) opinion, we’re all really awesome people.
NINE
Lifeguarding. Is it just me, or is there some unwritten rule that swimmers=lifeguards?
TEN
Sweatpants. Practice is the perfect excuse to wear sweatpants. Any time, any place. Just came from practice? Totally understandable.
ELEVEN
Peeing in the pool. Regular people use bathrooms. So basic.
TWELVE
Breath-holding contests. This is your time to shine. Those non-swimmers ain’t got nothin on you.
Roy Burch at Queen’s University. (photo: Mike Lewis, Ola Vista Photography)
THIRTEEN
Pride. Be proud-you’re one of the few. Not many people could handle a sport as rigorous as swimming.
One more perk: swimmers don’t have to wear cologne or perfume as chlorine smells a lot better than any cologne or perfume out there.
I do swim team and I’m on the seinoer and I’m 5
I do swim team and I’m on the seinoer and I’m 5
LOL. This is meant to be fun. And lets face it, we have all peed in the pool. Now that I’m “old”, and swim Masters, I use getting out to go pee as an excuse to rest between hard sets. Yep. Still using the 8 and Under trick. Please don’t tell my coach 🙂
Yeah, stay away from the peeing thing. It makes swimmers look disgusting and how did it become cool? I’m sorry that Michael Phelps loves to pee in the pool and is proud of it, but is Phelps really that great of an idol? Yeah, In all MY MANY years of swimming, coaching, lifeguarding I don’t know one person who has peed in the pool because they are a swimmer (maybe they wouldn’t admit it). And I can guarantee every swimmer I know would be grossed out and stay far away from the person who did pee in the pool. It’s not something that should be seen as a normal swimmer thing and talked about like we all do it…(whoa to… Read more »
#8 you obviously haven’t met the same people I have…
I agree with Catherine. It seems like number 11 is a drawback. I’d rather not swim in any team’s toilet. I happen to swim in a non-peeing-in-the-pool country and guess what? I don’t smell like chlorine after practice.
Why are only the girls using sit-ups to their advantage? Why can the girls possibly beat the “non-swimmer boys”? Let’s move away from gender stereotypes and empower young people to take pride in their fitness capacities challenging everyone including themselves. #thatswhypbsmatter
Yeah, Phelps is a great guy out of the pool.