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?
I'll add one more anecdote, not swimming-related. My brothers-in-law all played hockey through college. My brother-in-law, Ray, has three boys who all played hockey through at least high school. They were always travelling all over the place, Minneapolis, Detroit, etc. My mother-in-law always thought it was a complete waste of time. "They'll never play in the NHL! Why are you wasting all your time, schlepping them all over the place?" (My mum-in-law has never been one to hold her tongue. :rolleyes:)
Young Ray currently plays D-1 hockey at UMass. His older brother, Kit, played at the University of Illinois. His younger brother, Nick, opted out in his senior year of high school. Will young Ray make it to the NHL? Who knows? The odds are obviously long-ish. That's just the nature of moving up the pyramid. Still, hockey got him to college. I tend to think he might not have made it to where he is without that hockey scholarship.
There are more ways to profit from a college sports career than hitting the pro sports lottery. Your naysayer needs to keep that in mind.
I'll add one more anecdote, not swimming-related. My brothers-in-law all played hockey through college. My brother-in-law, Ray, has three boys who all played hockey through at least high school. They were always travelling all over the place, Minneapolis, Detroit, etc. My mother-in-law always thought it was a complete waste of time. "They'll never play in the NHL! Why are you wasting all your time, schlepping them all over the place?" (My mum-in-law has never been one to hold her tongue. :rolleyes:)
Young Ray currently plays D-1 hockey at UMass. His older brother, Kit, played at the University of Illinois. His younger brother, Nick, opted out in his senior year of high school. Will young Ray make it to the NHL? Who knows? The odds are obviously long-ish. That's just the nature of moving up the pyramid. Still, hockey got him to college. I tend to think he might not have made it to where he is without that hockey scholarship.
There are more ways to profit from a college sports career than hitting the pro sports lottery. Your naysayer needs to keep that in mind.
