entertain

If you are talking about recreational swimming, sure, it is quite easy. One can say it is a relaxing, fun sport, and a great way to relieve stress. But, the form of swimming I speak of is competitive swimming. Never heard of it? Now you will know.

Many people assume that swimming is a fun activity to do whenever there is free time. Everywhere I go, people taunt that running track is much more difficult. Some even say baseball or even basketball is much more energy consuming than swimming. I ignoring such comments, knowing that swimming is by far one of the hardest competitive sports that has ever existed. I have been in a swim team for over five years and I know the trials, hardships, and obstacles you must overcome in order to succeed. In swimming, mentality plays a huge role. It is more of an individual sport, where one has to set their mind to their distant goals and strive to break them. In the majority of sports, basketball and baseball have teamwork, bonds that remain locked tightly together. Swimming requires your friendships to be torn apart in the pool, to destroy your opponent without hesitation, and in the end, come out of the pool to congratulate each other in brotherhood again.

In terms of the stress that is placed on the body, swimming develops your physical endurance. One might not realize but after a year of swimming, they can hold their breath longer and endure any land sport with ease. The water in the pool creates a barrier that the athlete has to push themselves through in order to get to the wall ahead of them. Each stroke causes strenuous pain in your body, since swimming uses practically all of your body’s muscles. When you first start swimming, your body is not yet accustomed to the sport, having cramps and aches all over. For me, it took several months, almost a year until my body was armed to take on any physical punishment in the water possible. Time flies, and you begin to develop a love for swimming, both for fun and competitively. That was what I loved about swimming. The exhilaration to swim fast was incredible, and one has to become fully dedicated to the sport and be prepared to race anytime. Take Michael Phelps for example; he rarely cares about his schoolwork. As noted in the Olympics, he mostly just eats, sleeps, and swims. Nothing else. I am not implying that if you swim, you never have to do work. What I am saying is that one must remained focused on the event they must swim and constantly stay determined to win. When it comes to a showdown in a pool, Michael Phelps is there, armed to take on the toughest athletes in the world for the race for gold. And what more could you ask for? 8 gold medals, 7 world records, and 1 Olympic record.

Its just like what my swim coach used to tell me and something that I always remember: ” The pain is temporary, but the glory lasts forever.”