This summer marks my family’s third year of summer swim team. My husband and I are both new to team swimming, as neither of us progressed beyond the standard ‘swim lessons at the community pool’ when we were kids. Growing up, all I knew of swim team was that a few friends in my calculus class were swimmers and they had to strategically plan their shaving around swim meets.
My kids were five and seven when they first joined a summer swim team. To this day, seeing my then-five-year-old son trying on his little Speedo bike-short swimsuit is one of my very favorite memories. You haven’t seen cuteness until you’ve seen a skinny little five-year-old boy in an official swim team suit. Add the swim cap—which always scrunches down his forehead and brow and makes him look like a little old man—and googles, and, well, let’s just say I conjure up that image when I’m upset with him, and it always softens my heart.
Swim cap-induced smooshed face.
When we started the team both of my kids were completely new to the world of official strokes. I had no idea how much daily swimming and drills for six weeks would transform their swimming. I had no idea how their confidence would grow along with their skills and that my confidence in letting them swim independently (without me hovering around the side of the pool) would also grow exponentially.
The swimming world, like all sports, has its own culture and nuances. Beyond expensive team suits (in sizes that are foreign to non-swimmers), endless searches for goggles and caps in the cavernous swim bags and going through gallons of sunscreen, there are other things that were both surprising and enjoyable that I’ve discovered about summer swim league.
A few things I’ve learned over the past three years as a summer swim team mom:
- Writing on your kids with a Sharpie on meet day is normal. In fact, bring two to three to each meet, as you will always loan one out.
- As your kids get older and become stronger swimmers, you write entire spreadsheets on their arms or legs with that Sharpie. Again, normal.
- Sunscreen and Sharpies on the same area don’t work. Prepare for serious smear-age that will likely not wear off for a week.
- Ring Pops are powerful motivators. My son is more motivated by a Ring Pop than he is by beating his time or other swimmers.
- Ring Pops from Halloween should be immediately confiscated, put in a bag in the top of the pantry, and used during summer swim team. You’ll save yourself a good $5, which you can use to buy another Sharpie.
- You can easily miss your kid’s event if you turn away for 30 seconds (like, to reapply Sharpie to your other kid). Start watching the pool about three events before your kid’s event to ensure you don’t miss it.
- Your faith in San Antonio families will be renewed as you watch parents, siblings, and grandparents all trek into a cramped, hot bug-palooza neighborhood pool to sit in camp chairs for hours to watch their swimmers.
- Your faith in humanity will be restored as you watch the entire group of people on the sides of the pool (from both teams) cheer for the adorable little five-year-old who is dog-paddling his/her heart out and trying to cross the pool for his/her first ever 25-meter freestyle race.
- You will yell “kick!” with more passion than you ever have in your life. Repeatedly. Even at complete stranger’s kids. And that’s normal. The swimmers are underwater (duh) and can’t hear you, but you’ll still yell.
- If you have a background in food safety, you will have to completely turn off your inner temperature gauge and sanitation meter if you volunteer in the snack bar. (Maybe that’s just me…)
- Some parents are gifted in putting on swim caps painlessly. If you aren’t one of them, quickly make friends with these parents and teach your kids to go to them for capping. Give those parents a Ring Pop or Sharpie as a token of your thanks.
- You will feel awful when you realize you can’t tell which swimmer is your kid in a race. Make sure you memorize what kind of goggles your kid is wearing, as that is often the only distinguishing characteristic. You’ll still tell your child, “Yes, I saw you race! You did great!” even when you weren’t sure if was actually your kid you were watching. Normal.
- As a San Antonio swim team parent, you and your kids will likely have lukewarm breakfast tacos from the snack bar for breakfast every Saturday in June. They are marked up over 50% and may be three hours old, but you’ll eat them.
- You may find that you quite enjoy swim practice, as it gives you at least 45 minutes to visit with other parents. After five days a week for six weeks, you develop actual friendships and have real conversations with other parents, as do your kids with other children. You meet neighbors you didn’t know and find friends for both you and your kids to spend time with throughout the rest of the summer.
- You may also find that swim meets last approximately 17.4 hours in the blazing sun. While the kids are wet from the pool, the parents are wet from sweat. Dry wicking shirts are your friend. The whole family will need a shower when you get home. (PS. Even after the shower, the Sharpie smear will look brand new on your kid’s arm.)
Summer swim team has been a fantastic experience for our family and something all four of us look forward to each year. Our season has been over since the end of June, and I’m already missing the other families and the built-in exercise for my kids. Only 11 more months before I need to stock up on Sharpies, goggles, and swim caps!
