10 Things You Learn as a Swim Parent
By Dr. Donald Lee Aivalotis, II – Guest Editorial
newswimmer.com
I once told my wife that we would NEVER become a swim family! I was serious. My son was playing basketball, a sport with a clear season. “Those swim families are crazy,” I told her. “They don’t sleep!” We are now a swim family. While I love everything about it and wouldn’t change a thing, it is absolutely “no joke!” Being a swim family is hard. It’s exhaustingly amazing!
Here are a few things you will quickly learn if you are a new swim family…
Swimming Is Expensive
All you need is a pair of trunks and goggles, right? I wish that were the case. Instead, you need several pairs of goggles, practice suits, team suits, tech suits, bags, towels, other gear, club fees, meet fees, travel expenses. It adds up fast. The average swim family can spend several thousand dollars a year per swimmer. Swimming, in my opinion, is one of the more expensive sports.
Your Grocery Bill Will Double, Maybe Even Triple
If you think your kid eats a lot now, wait until they start swimming 4, 5, 6, or even 8 practices a week. Swimmers burn a tremendous amount of calories, and with that comes a hearty appetite. Fire up your Sam’s Club and Costco memberships … you’re gonna need them.
The upside is that swimmers are, in my opinion, in better physical and mental shape than any other athlete.
Your Nights and Weekends Will Never Be Free Again
As your swimmer continues, they will be swimming more days per week as they “age up.” Club swim meets can be 2, 3, or 4 days long and may happen more than once a month, depending on your club and the time of year. You will spend hours, upon hours, in hot, humid natatoriums in every school in your area. You will be traveling to colleges for larger meets, spending nights in hotel rooms, and a lot of time away from home.
Along with that, you will meet some amazing families and make friends with the other swimmers’ parents. They are the only people who will understand you. To everyone else, you will seem crazy!
Swimming Is Complicated
To outsiders, swimming seems simple. It is anything but. Swimming comes with a long list of complicated rules and a vocabulary list a mile long. Acronyms, abbreviations, slang, and words you’ve never heard of will eventually roll off your tongue like you know what you’re talking about…and eventually you will.
Everything Will Smell Like Chlorine
Your car smells like chlorine, your kid’s hair smells like chlorine, their clothes smell like chlorine. Everything in your house, eventually, smells like chlorine. Get used to it.
Swimming Is Like Learning a New Language
From IMs to negative spilts, a lot of vocabulary only makes sense to swim families. Sometimes you will find yourself sounding like you are speaking a foreign language.
Check out our page of Swimming Terminology to brush up on your vocab.
Blink and You Will Miss Your Kid’s Event
Unless your kid is a distance swimmer, you could literally be sitting for eight hours just to watch them swim for 30 seconds or less. Gaze off or spend too long in the restroom, and you just may miss your kid’s event. We’ve all done it before.
You Will Never Again Be Caught Up with Laundry
Before swimming, laundry was a daunting task. Now, it’s impossible. Swim towels, multiple outfits, inside-out socks, swimsuits, bath towels, the list goes on. Piles of damp clothes start to appear throughout the house. You will never be caught up on laundry again!
Your House Will Look Like a Swim Shop
Get ready. Swim gear will take over your home. Goggles, caps, suits, kickboards, and fins will mysteriously appear in every room. You’ll find mesh bags hanging from doorknobs and damp towels draped over your railing. At some point, you may even step on a snorkel in the hallway and not be surprised. It just becomes part of swim life.
You Won’t Regret Any Of It!
It’s a wild ride, but it’s rewarding. You may even find yourself getting involved. I became a USA Swimming coach after serving on a club swim board, trying my hand as a stroke and turn official, and being an eager swim parent.
