Not sure if this has been asked here... For me, the first reason is that I don't want to be drowned in case of accident :cool: . The last reason is that I'm proud to tell people I swim :D . In between there are a lot of other reasons.
What about you? :confused:
While there are many reasons I could give such as Thorton's list,what it comes down to is that I am a SWIMMER.It is a central organizing paradigm for my being.As I noted before,a friend asked my wife"is Allen still swimming?" and she replied"yes,he's still breathing."
I do not really know why I decided to swim in the first place. I played soccer and baseball along with swimming from when i was 6 until I was 15. my freshman yr in HS I only played soccer and baseball. But I missed swimming, and dropped soccer and baseball and went to swimming full time.
I quit when our college cut the men's team, but only because I didn't know about Masters swimming.
I swim now, because it makes me happy. I love the feeling of being in the water, I love having goals and working hard in the pool to acheive those goals.
Sitting on the edge of the pool, toes dangling in the water, stretching the black cap with the pink flowers over my head, big breath…and I am in. Diving down to the bottom, pushing off and playing my way through the first fifty, this is why I swim. The feel of the water, gliding through effortlessly, playing like a child, this is why I swim.
Three special coaches who teach, encourage, analyze, and challenge. Each set seems designed just for me, what I need, but not necessarily what I want. They challenge and help me achieve times and workouts I never thought possible, this is why I swim.
Swimming in the fast lane with the high school kids, being their friend and a positive person in their life, and keeping up with their send offs, this is why I swim.
Sharing several hours a week with my 13 year old daughter discussing technique, nutrition, swim team gossip, and a love for a challenge and push, this is why I swim.
Friends to kick my butt, friends to have a Saturday morning breakfast with, relationships that strengthen you, this is why I swim.
Size 2 white jeans, this is why I swim!
I swim to eat, eat to sleep. sleep to work, work to swim.
I love this quote, but I'd shuffle it a bit.
I eat to swim, swim to sleep, sleep to work and work to eat.
All of that leaves out the most important thing in my life, which is my family. I do absolutely everything for them, or with them firmly in my mind.
I got back into swimming to lose weight and stay healthy. I stay for the comraderie (of my team) and the competition (of swim meets).
Because the cardiologist wanted a cut of my life insurance if I did not lose some weight.
Because I am a Scout Leader and need to be a better example of being "physically fit" that I have been in the past.
Because at 50 I still want to challenge myself. I know there are still some good swims left in this body and look forward to getting in enough shape to swim a 100 fly or 400 IM paced to the Talking Heads "Burning down the House"
Folks, can you imagine so many great things said about any other sports?
Spend time with golfers or fisherman and then ask yourself that. Oh, and try to get a biker to shut up, good luck.
my swimming days gave me my identity and made me who I am.
Every reply said very well, but this reason escaped me when I thought about the reasons why I swim. When I read this part by Lump, I just realized one big reason why I enjoy swimming so much. I can say it brings out more good things about me than any other physical activities I do. If I go back to swimmingless, an important part of who I am would be missing. :D
