Inspired by the adventures & advice recounted in the Women are trouble thread, I thought I'd propose a related thread: How I met my Sweetie through Swimming (masters or whatever).
I'll start the ball rolling...
Sixteen years ago I was taking advantage of an extended dayshift position in my (then) policing career by working out most mornings with a age-group club in North Vancouver and evenings with my masters club & was devoting myself to a rather monastic lifestyle designed to see just how far I could take my swimming-then...one night, in walks a new female swimmer to our masters workout & literally I thought "oh no, here comes trouble!" We made acquaintance through the post-workout ritual hottub & I knew that it was serious trouble when I discovered that she was a breastroker (I was surrounded by stroke philistines who preferred others) & after she took off her bathing cap (auburn hair? I'm sunk). Nevertheless, I stubbornly tried to adhere to my swimmerly vows of perfection attainment until a few weeks later after a local meet she mentioned that she had been given two tickets for a play & would I like to come along?
We've been married for fourteen years now.
Swimming perfection? Naah, but lifetime happiness I'll take over that, anytime.
Your turn
I agree that having a swimming spouse is the ideal.
I had gone through many relationships where I tried to explain why I swim as much as I do, instead of trying a less smelly sport (chess, perhaps??).
Anyway, nine months ago I became involved with a swimmer (after two years of skirting any romantic involvement), and it's been great ever since. We can talk about our great workout sets, our poor sets and the meets we attend. To be able to use swimming shorthand with the one you love is the greatest asset of all!
Although, my fiance loves to swim alone, for thousands of yards at a time without stopping. I, on the other hand, need more than one other person around to motivate me and like shorter sets. We're different in that way, but when we talk to each other about swimming, it's nice to know that we both get it.
I know two people who work and swim together. I suppose that would be the perfect situation. Provided you can stand seeing your spouse 24/7.
We didn't develop our relationship over swimming, but my wife and I (married 25 years this June) share a devotion to swimming.
We keep each other going on days one or the other might not feel up to it.
She is one of the few people willing to share my lane (and my wake and my aggressiveness.) So it must me love. (She's also the only person willing to share the same room with me after I've had barbecue and beans, so it is TRULY love! :) )
When her cap splits, I give her mine and do my workout without one that day. I carry her bag to the pool for her.
There's nothing like having a life partner who appreciates experiencing new pools whenever we travel somewhere. Or an open water swim (such as the bay at La Jolla, near San Diego.) We even committed to each other that we would swim together sans wetsuit at the beach at Monterey, CA when we went there, just to say we did it. (And we did, and we chilled to the bone, and we warmed up each other afterwards!)
Channel Number 5 bight be nice. Or Halston or some other perfume, but I pity the guy who doesn't enjoy the hint of chlorine as he falls asleep at night in his mermaid's arms.
Gosh, we are not sure that hypoxic training isn't the problem...
and we hope you did not mean the stuff where people like to have the air intake restricted....
Living with Ralph, Mr. Moose and all the rest of the gang is one thing....but....whew....we LOVE to breath.......;)
There's good and bad to a swimming spouse.
It is MOSTLY good until the "taper grumpies" come out. At our 1st nationals in Tempe (1994) we were still dating, but sharing a room (ssh, don't tell my mom!:p) Pat didn't want to go anywhere, including dinner, he was very quiet, etc. He was so "focused" as he put it on his races. (Granted he did win most of them!) I got sick of it (grumpies) quite quickly. I'm pretty light-hearted for the most part at Nationals so I nicknamed his condition the "taper grumpies".
I'm not looking forward to Ft. Lauderdale in this regard. We are bringing #1 son and leaving 2 and 3 with grandma, maybe he'll be a little less grumpy with Peej around. :)
hi jeff,
congrats on your new love
my wife tolerates my swimming
nice to see another texas ex here,
hook em
ande
Originally posted by Jeff Commings
I agree that having a swimming spouse is the ideal.
I had gone through many relationships where I tried to explain why I swim as much as I do, instead of trying a less smelly sport (chess, perhaps??).
Anyway, nine months ago I became involved with a swimmer (after two years of skirting any romantic involvement), and it's been great ever since. We can talk about our great workout sets, our poor sets and the meets we attend. To be able to use swimming shorthand with the one you love is the greatest asset of all!
Although, my fiance loves to swim alone, for thousands of yards at a time without stopping. I, on the other hand, need more than one other person around to motivate me and like shorter sets. We're different in that way, but when we talk to each other about swimming, it's nice to know that we both get it.
I know two people who work and swim together. I suppose that would be the perfect situation. Provided you can stand seeing your spouse 24/7.
I'm registered w/ Walnut Creek Masters too, and Karen, if 15-20 couples have found "true love" there, I have found my motivation to attend those early morning workouts again.
