Swimming is the Teacher, I am the Student and These are the Lessons

I started swimming when I was 8, for a summer league team, Richboro Swim Club. While I may have been a “natural” I had no idea that there were racing suits and other suits. So off I go to my 2nd practice ever, in my favorite bikini! The first minutes of practice were ok; a little stretching, a few calisthenics, and it was time to swim. Not sure what we had to do, except Coach said start with a dive so I can see you do a start. Swimmers – you know what happened.. in I dove, bottoms fell off, out I ran to the bathroom crying the entire way, with my Coach running after me, bikini bottoms in hand, yelling “Its ok, Jodi.” It was not ok, I did not return to practice that day. The next day my team pretended nothing had happened and we went back to being best friends and pals! But I learned a lesson, in fact, I learned many lessons throughout my swimming career. Summer league turned into winter league, which turned into full time club swim team and then to High School at a perennial powerhouse team and club team to Junior Nationals (back then) to Senior Nationals to college swimming turned to some coaching and full circle back to Masters swimming. The lessons learned are valuable, useful in all aspects of life, and lifelong.

1. Know the sport – including “uniforms and practice gear”

2. Make your teammates your friends, your family. If you swim seriously, you will spend more time with them then you do in your own house.

3. Accept faults and short comings of others, because even though they may be wearing the bikini today, it could be you

4. Sportsmanship – your competitor is your friend and your friend is your competitor

5. Shake hands with your competitor – always – RESPECT

6. Be yourself, even if you try to hide it, your friends will know, especially those you spend up to 6 hours a day swimming and training with – most often in skimpy swim suits.

7. Try not to be the jealous type.. its hard when someone does well and you do not… your time will come.

8. Be the best teammate at every practice and every meet – happiness and support breeds happiness and support.

9. Complaining will not change the workout or the coach’s mind – it just makes you look like a whiner and not someone people want to hang out with.

10. Have some other extracurricular activities at some points… maybe go to 1 slumber party, or a dance or just hanging out with non-swimmer friends (do those exist?)

11. Do not be afraid to succeed – success takes hard work and harder work to stay there… that’s what you train for.

12. If you do not like it anymore, if you truly do not want to swim any more.. STOP… you are not a quitter, you are changing your goals, pursuing another road. It is ok to stop.

13. Stand up for yourself, when needed, no one knows you or your body better then you do.

14. Especially as a masters swimmer, live in the moment.. you will not always have best times, but you can always be the best you at that time.

15. Enjoy and have fun.