Swimming is a sport that is not very well understood by most. Unless you are a swimmer, you most likely have no idea what really goes on in the pool. Of course, every four years swimming dives into the spotlight for a week or two of Olympic glory, but it remains on the sidelines most of the time. And there's nothing wrong with that, it's just that many people have some misconceptions about the sport and its athletes. As a swimmer, I think I speak for most in saying that it's a love-hate relationship. You have to put in a lot of time and energy, and you don't always get rewarded for it. However, when you have a great meet and put up some best times, it all feels worth it. So what do I love and what do I hate about swimming?

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. At face value, swimming may seem less than appealing. You swim every day for three hours, six days a week. There's morning practices that are as early as 4 or 5 AM, and you have an out-of-the-water workout session tacked on at the end. Not to mention, while everyone else enjoys their holidays and summer vacation, you have DOUBLE the amount of practices. Another thing about swimming is that it is a very individualistic sport. If you swim badly, you can't share the blame. Everything you do is only for you, and you have to be very self-motivated to do well. It is also a very mental sport. I know that this is not unique to swimming, but it can be agonizing sometimes to force yourself out of bed at the crack of dawn and jump in a freezing pool when it would be just as easy to hit snooze and sleep away your worries. In this respect, swimming is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. So yes, it can be very hard sometimes, especially if you try to balance it with school and other activities. But that's not the whole story...

So why do swimmers put up with it all? To be honest, I don't really know. There's just some special quality about swimming that makes it addicting. Once you're in, you never back out. You meet a lot of friends through the sport, and you can always eat anything you want. Swimming becomes a way of life almost. There is nothing like getting up on those blocks and hearing that beep for the start. Your heart is pumping and your blood is rushing; It's pure adrenaline and competition. There is no better feeling than looking up at the board at the end of a race, knowing that you gave it your all, and seeing a best time or a cut that you made or a #1 next to your name. In that moment everything is worth it. You want more. You want to train harder and swim faster. In that way, swimming is awesome. The idea that you have something that you are truly passionate about, that you are willing to work as hard as you can for, is the real reason why swimming is so important. Swimming has helped me grow as an athlete and as a person, and you can't say that about many things in your life.