Greetings
I know from reading many posts that some of you have swam in college. I am the parent of an age group swimmer who has his sights set on a college scholarship. I was a sportsmed guy in a a Div 1 school in college and all of us worked many long hours and traveled a great deal to earn our way through. The athletes worked very hard of course and really paid in time for the funds they received in the form of books and tuition. I would rather pay for his schooling and see him study rather than swim. I do not want to steal his dreams though as a result of my cynical view of the system. Have any of you swam in college and what was your experience? Do you view it as a worthy goal or would you have done it differently? Any coaches out there with insight? All advice welcome. This is a great forum!
Many Thanks
Spudfin
Parents
Former Member
I would not trade my college swimming experience for anything. The experiences that I obtained from being on a team were second to none. Sure, the workouts were tough. Running, lifting, throwing med balls and shotputs, running around the natatorium in your suit in the snow trying to blast anyone with a snowball, especially coach, racing through the entire NCAA line-up to see if you could win a shirt, those kinds of things. Your teammates become your family. Your coach becomes, well, your coach for a time, and hopefully your friend for life. I would encourage anyone to compete as a member of any level of collegiate athletics. There is no other experience like it in the world. Of course it was difficult, but what isn't. I believe the effect on future employers is enhanced if you have competition listed on a resume. It can be more beneficial than a 4.0 on the grade card. It shows time management and the ability to adapt to long hours of hard work. A teammate of mine got a very good high paying job after telling a story of a very time consuming and mentally challenging workout. The employers wanted to hear about the hardest thing that he had ever accomplished. It wasn't an exam in some Econ class. It was a 5 1/2 hour swimming workout that crushed peoples minds. When you made it through, you knew you could do anything. College athletics is a way of life that allows for great opportunities after you move on to whatever you move on to. The people who can make it through and still have a 4.0, are genius'. There are a lot of distractions. A LOT. But what college doesn't have distractions. If my kids grow up and are good enough to compete at the collegiate level in anything, Div I, II, III, NAIA, or whatever, I will know that they have a built in support group 24/7, The Team. Sorry if I rambled. I'm on my second week of Jury Duty.
I would not trade my college swimming experience for anything. The experiences that I obtained from being on a team were second to none. Sure, the workouts were tough. Running, lifting, throwing med balls and shotputs, running around the natatorium in your suit in the snow trying to blast anyone with a snowball, especially coach, racing through the entire NCAA line-up to see if you could win a shirt, those kinds of things. Your teammates become your family. Your coach becomes, well, your coach for a time, and hopefully your friend for life. I would encourage anyone to compete as a member of any level of collegiate athletics. There is no other experience like it in the world. Of course it was difficult, but what isn't. I believe the effect on future employers is enhanced if you have competition listed on a resume. It can be more beneficial than a 4.0 on the grade card. It shows time management and the ability to adapt to long hours of hard work. A teammate of mine got a very good high paying job after telling a story of a very time consuming and mentally challenging workout. The employers wanted to hear about the hardest thing that he had ever accomplished. It wasn't an exam in some Econ class. It was a 5 1/2 hour swimming workout that crushed peoples minds. When you made it through, you knew you could do anything. College athletics is a way of life that allows for great opportunities after you move on to whatever you move on to. The people who can make it through and still have a 4.0, are genius'. There are a lot of distractions. A LOT. But what college doesn't have distractions. If my kids grow up and are good enough to compete at the collegiate level in anything, Div I, II, III, NAIA, or whatever, I will know that they have a built in support group 24/7, The Team. Sorry if I rambled. I'm on my second week of Jury Duty.
