My granddaughter has several colleges interested in her. She is very excited, however, there is a naysayer in the family. Every time my granddaughter brings up the subject in his presence he makes comments like, "Swimming isn't your life," or "It is a waste of time because it won't get you a job." If she says, "What if I want to be a swim coach?" He says, "Sounds like a hobby, not a job."
My question, what doors did swimming for a college/university open for you after graduation?
My question, what doors did swimming for a college/university open for you after graduation?
Well, I've always been comfortable and an able swimmer, but I didn't swim in h.s. or college. I joined the Navy a couple years after h.s. and began swimming for fitness/triathlon. I can attest that swimming once got me promoted to a higher pay grade. I was stationed at a command with an Admiral for a commanding officer. To help fight faltering fitness test scores, he proclaimed that anyone who got a perfect score on the semi-annual fitness test would receive a Letter of Commendation from him. For those who don't know...a Letter of Commendation from a flag officer earns you points at advancement time. At that time (late 80s), the swim portion of the Navy fitness test called for something like 7:00 in the 500 yard swim for a perfect score. Of course by then I was able to do the 500yds in the high 5-minute to low 6-minute timeframe so a perfect score was routine for me. Well, I got the perfect score, got the Letter of Commendation, and in the next advancement cycle I earned advancement by less than one point. That letter got me over the top.
Dan
My question, what doors did swimming for a college/university open for you after graduation?
Well, I've always been comfortable and an able swimmer, but I didn't swim in h.s. or college. I joined the Navy a couple years after h.s. and began swimming for fitness/triathlon. I can attest that swimming once got me promoted to a higher pay grade. I was stationed at a command with an Admiral for a commanding officer. To help fight faltering fitness test scores, he proclaimed that anyone who got a perfect score on the semi-annual fitness test would receive a Letter of Commendation from him. For those who don't know...a Letter of Commendation from a flag officer earns you points at advancement time. At that time (late 80s), the swim portion of the Navy fitness test called for something like 7:00 in the 500 yard swim for a perfect score. Of course by then I was able to do the 500yds in the high 5-minute to low 6-minute timeframe so a perfect score was routine for me. Well, I got the perfect score, got the Letter of Commendation, and in the next advancement cycle I earned advancement by less than one point. That letter got me over the top.
Dan
