Were you a College Swimmer?

Swam for 1 semester before transferring. I am sure it wasn't division 1, but I don't remember what division it was. I swam at UMass Dartmouth. I loved the team as the juniors and seniors looked out for us freshmen. It was as if every guy on the team was an older brother and it had a very good team atmosphere and I loved going to practice and meets. When I transferred I was commuting, I didn't have time for it, and decided to stop swimming. 13 years later I became a Masters swimmer!!!

I did one year at a Div.1 college. It felt more like prison than fun. What I loved about college swimming? When I didn't swim on the team my second year. College swimming felt like a job that I wasn't getting paid for. Since I didn't come from a well to do family like alot of college swimmers, I really couldn't afford to swim after my first year. After some reflection, I am totally glad that I only did one year of college swimming. It wasn't my cup of tea. What I hated about college swimming? Living with fellow swimmers, Ugh! Doing doubles during our taper meet. Not having that magicial freshman year that I heard so much about from other college swimmers before me. Swimming slow. The training trip that turned out to be a waste of my winter break. I could have sleep at home during those two weeks and swam just as fast as our Conference meet. I did get to see Florida for the first time and that was cool. Competing in yards. College swimming should totally be done in Long course. Yes, most pools are yards but at least the Conference Champs and up should be in Long Course. Heck, most of the time, they are at LCM capable pools anyway.

I was 4 years at a Div I school,but that is misleading as it was Rice(then the smallest D-I school) with no scholarships in the late 60s and we weren't very good.

Doing doubles during our taper meet. Wait, what?

Take his experience and do a complete 180 (except the well off part). My third year was LCM ('92 Olympic Year). I have never regretted my decision to not swim my senior year. I swam 4 years at a Division I school. Although I didn't get WAY faster like some of my teammates, I got faster my first 2 years. I always loved the dual meets, the camaraderie and (for awhile) the training, but I had a horrible junior season, 1988, and seriously considered quitting. I realized I was burnt from years and years of heavy distance training (moreso 10th to 12th grades) and really bummed after a horrible conference meet. I had had my sights set on both NCAA and OT cuts, but was far far away. I talked with parents and then my coach about not swimming my senior year. My coach made me a compromise: train with the 400 IMers for the summer (I was staying in town anyhow as I had changed majors and needed some extra classes) and see what happens. I didn't touch the d-lane that summer and proceeded to swim very well ... still heartbreakingly missed the OT cuts by less than a second in each of the 400 free and 400 IM, but I re-discovered my love for swimming. I came back and had a great senior year. I'm so glad I stuck with it ... but also glad my major change required me to take an extra semester to finish so I could enjoy one semester as a 'traditional' student. (READ: gained >30 pounds!)

Take his experience and do a complete 180 (except the well off part). My third year was LCM ('92 Olympic Year). The only part I didn't care for is all the dual meets...its really hard to train and then have to turn around and be expected to swim fast in a dual meet when you are toast. To me the training in college was a lot easier, but you have so much "other" responsiblilites. Dual meets sucked but we did alot of Friday and then Saturday away meets. Plus, meets against two teams instead of you which was great on a time management level. I don't remember any swimming at these meets but I know that I drove through alot of North Carolina since my college was in the CAA at the time.

Wait, what? I remember that I was so psyched that we were finally on our taper. Then, I heard or something? "yeah, we are still doing doubles!" Boom! Psyched no more and the guys team swam like crap. Geeh, I wonder why!

I got the opportunity to attend my college choice based on academics, and not athletics. Our team was usually the bottom of a small mid-major conference, but that was okay with me. Not being the most athletically gifted swimmer, I walked onto the team my freshman year. There were several traditions on our team, such as all of the freshman getting last choice of events at the dual meets. I will never forget having to swim the 1000 free in a dual meet (to me, the 200 was way to long!) and crying after the race because it was the most painful thing I had endured at the age of 18. Overall, I absolutely loved and hated it at the same time. Our coach pushed us incredibly hard, had us doing all of this crazy dryland stuff that I had never done before, and just basically working us like nothing we had ever experience before. I remember the first time I ever accomplished some crazy fast interval repeats of 100s and 200s that I never thought I could! Having to juggle going to class and practice twice a day really made me realize how easy "other" college students had it. Luckily I was a sprinter, so my practices were extra easy and did not tire me out at all :laugh2: I loved swimming, but my college major did not allow for me as much time as I wanted to for extra activities, so I gave it up after a frustrating sophomore year. I have never regretted that decision and I still swim because I love it.

4 years at a Div. 1 school. We were not very competitive. Things I loved - Team friendships taper time swimming faster than I ever had before Things I hated - High mileage training - 20,000 yards daily walking around exhausted all the time not being allowed to shave for 4 months at a time swimming the same (long and hard) events at every meet struggling to stay awake in classes I didn't train year round - I had to work during the summer to be able to afford school.

swam 4 years D1. I did not enjoy the dual meet aspect (for reasons already mentioned by others) but I did LOVE the training. my coach wrote amazing stroke and middle distance sets. I really didn't improve time-wise that much in college, but I learned a lot training.