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.
I know A part of me always will love swimming, I just dont enjoy it and i am not getting better and when you are the same speed you were 4 years ago but now slower its hard. I don't know if I am making the right decision. I am leaving here and attending a d3 school next year where I can swim if I choose , I just cant believe I am going to leave and give up my little scholarship i have here. I just love that people are giving me feedback and advice it helps me think about things more.Thanks everyone
The scholarship complicates matters. I wish I could say I was ever good enough to merit one, but I wasn't. So even if you aren't improving, you must still be pretty darn good. Good for you.
(Since you don't get along with your coach, I wonder if that is the reason you're not improving. If you don't embrace her/his system of training, that may be affecting your progress. Just a thought (my experience was similar)...)
The question of whether you'll regret quitting swimming is a deceptively easy one to answer, and several people have hit on it already: it entirely depends on what you do with your life after swimming. I too quit swimming in college. (Like you, I was burned out and really didn't mesh with my coach.) I used that free time to party with my fraternity, join and become very active in student government, sleep in (!) and most importantly, meet and begin dating my (then future) wife.
It's been 15 years since I last swam and I only recently got back into the pool. While I might feel some mild tinges of regret that I never lived up to my potential in college, I wouldn't change a thing in my life. If you quit, take advantage of the incredible amount of free time that quitting collegiate swimming will open up.
The complication, again, is losing that scholarship. You could think of swimming like any part-time job you might have in college. Given the cost of school these days, on an hourly basis swimming might be a very well-paying job. Unless mom and dad will pay for you to go to this D3 school, it *might* be worth sucking up. Very tough decision.
Good luck and remember that Masters Swimming will always be there for you should you quit swimming now and want to come back to it in the future. It's a million times more fun because *you* really dictate your involvement level. Getting up for 6:30am practices works a lot better as an adult when it's entirely voluntary.
I know A part of me always will love swimming, I just dont enjoy it and i am not getting better and when you are the same speed you were 4 years ago but now slower its hard. I don't know if I am making the right decision. I am leaving here and attending a d3 school next year where I can swim if I choose , I just cant believe I am going to leave and give up my little scholarship i have here. I just love that people are giving me feedback and advice it helps me think about things more.Thanks everyone
The scholarship complicates matters. I wish I could say I was ever good enough to merit one, but I wasn't. So even if you aren't improving, you must still be pretty darn good. Good for you.
(Since you don't get along with your coach, I wonder if that is the reason you're not improving. If you don't embrace her/his system of training, that may be affecting your progress. Just a thought (my experience was similar)...)
The question of whether you'll regret quitting swimming is a deceptively easy one to answer, and several people have hit on it already: it entirely depends on what you do with your life after swimming. I too quit swimming in college. (Like you, I was burned out and really didn't mesh with my coach.) I used that free time to party with my fraternity, join and become very active in student government, sleep in (!) and most importantly, meet and begin dating my (then future) wife.
It's been 15 years since I last swam and I only recently got back into the pool. While I might feel some mild tinges of regret that I never lived up to my potential in college, I wouldn't change a thing in my life. If you quit, take advantage of the incredible amount of free time that quitting collegiate swimming will open up.
The complication, again, is losing that scholarship. You could think of swimming like any part-time job you might have in college. Given the cost of school these days, on an hourly basis swimming might be a very well-paying job. Unless mom and dad will pay for you to go to this D3 school, it *might* be worth sucking up. Very tough decision.
Good luck and remember that Masters Swimming will always be there for you should you quit swimming now and want to come back to it in the future. It's a million times more fun because *you* really dictate your involvement level. Getting up for 6:30am practices works a lot better as an adult when it's entirely voluntary.
