Hey Everyone, I wanted to get some other swimmers inputs. I am currently a freshman in college and have been swimming year round since I was nine. I lived and breathed swimming all through high school and it was my life. Never did I think that I would quit swimming after my freshman year of college. I know longer love swimming and I can't continue to keep doing it. I will be giving up my scholarship next year AND will be transferring to school closer to home. I guess what I want to know is and I making one of the worst decisions of my life. I don't want to continue to do this but what if I miss it or I am miserable. I have my conference meet in three weeks and want to go out on a bang, just like everyone does when they are giving up something they love to do. My question is how do I get through this last three weeks and enjoy it and go out on a bang and what is your guys opinion on my decision to hang up swimming. I would love any opinions or feedback.
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This post probably is the one that I can most relate too--as last year when I joined masters and first joined the forum my first thread was along the same lines as yours. I hate college swimming. I loved swimming in high school, middle school, club teams, uss teams, I even love swimming during college breaks when I had to go home and swim on my own. I love swimming on my own even during college season when I just go to another pool to swim a little bit. I am on a scholarship for swimming as well and I am currently at a division 2 school. I too have not improved in several years and I agree--its frustrating and hard. It's hard to get up every morning and put forth the same effort and positive attitude that your expected when your heart isnt in it--how well I know that!
I was convinced to keep with it--not quit the team. However, I didn't really have the option of transferring schools--so if I had quit I would have lost my scholarship and then been responsible for the high tuition costs, so I thought of quiting as throwing away $10,000. While the money is nice--I can not wait to go to graduate school next year and not have any responsibility to a team, because I feel like I have been quite disappointed with my college experience and most of that stems from my involvement on my college team. I don't think its necessarily the college swimming as much as it is my team and my coaching situation. I don't mesh with my teammates very well and my team is very cliche and we have completely different interests and attitudes. My coach and I have been constantly creating friction which has made my time on the team even harder.
I think that if you no longer love swimming, if its no longer the same for you as it was before--you know what you should do. People really can't compare experiences or advice on this kind of topic because there are so many factors that come into play. I wish I had quit my team when I knew I no longer loved swimming because this season has been similarly disappointing and I am often miserable--so I have given up caring--which makes the whole things worse. If you end up missing it and being miserable look for a masters team or uss team to join--something that isn't so rigid and suffocating as the college swimming setting and you probably will learn to love swimming again.
As much as I can't wait for my college season to be over--I am even more excited for the chance to start practicing on my own again and swimming masters meets. Sometimes its just the environment that burns you out...
This post probably is the one that I can most relate too--as last year when I joined masters and first joined the forum my first thread was along the same lines as yours. I hate college swimming. I loved swimming in high school, middle school, club teams, uss teams, I even love swimming during college breaks when I had to go home and swim on my own. I love swimming on my own even during college season when I just go to another pool to swim a little bit. I am on a scholarship for swimming as well and I am currently at a division 2 school. I too have not improved in several years and I agree--its frustrating and hard. It's hard to get up every morning and put forth the same effort and positive attitude that your expected when your heart isnt in it--how well I know that!
I was convinced to keep with it--not quit the team. However, I didn't really have the option of transferring schools--so if I had quit I would have lost my scholarship and then been responsible for the high tuition costs, so I thought of quiting as throwing away $10,000. While the money is nice--I can not wait to go to graduate school next year and not have any responsibility to a team, because I feel like I have been quite disappointed with my college experience and most of that stems from my involvement on my college team. I don't think its necessarily the college swimming as much as it is my team and my coaching situation. I don't mesh with my teammates very well and my team is very cliche and we have completely different interests and attitudes. My coach and I have been constantly creating friction which has made my time on the team even harder.
I think that if you no longer love swimming, if its no longer the same for you as it was before--you know what you should do. People really can't compare experiences or advice on this kind of topic because there are so many factors that come into play. I wish I had quit my team when I knew I no longer loved swimming because this season has been similarly disappointing and I am often miserable--so I have given up caring--which makes the whole things worse. If you end up missing it and being miserable look for a masters team or uss team to join--something that isn't so rigid and suffocating as the college swimming setting and you probably will learn to love swimming again.
As much as I can't wait for my college season to be over--I am even more excited for the chance to start practicing on my own again and swimming masters meets. Sometimes its just the environment that burns you out...
