I've been in a swim club since the beginning of September, last year. The club expects its swimmers to show up at various pools 6 days a week, for 2 - 2 1/2 hours at a time. The group I was shoved in is called "Youth Development"; the group you're thrust into if you're 13 or older but aren't fast enough for the "Performance" group.
When I first joined, I felt inadequate and terrified. There were several kids in my lane, all faster than me and experienced with things like 'pace times' and 'sets'. Thankfully, my coach was patient with me and explained what it all meant -sort of. She didn't seem expect much of me, at least at first, but eventually discovered how much I wanted to make it, so she began pushing me hard enough that I began beating the other swimmers. It was all so new for me, but as I grew stronger and faster it became less scary and more exciting.
Now, it's June. There are only 5 practices left [including the one this evening], with a meet on Saturday. That day will mark the last time I ever don a swim cap in the name of Olympian Swim Club. I've been grieving the loss for a week or so now.
I will miss it all terribly. I'm finally at the top of my game, and it's all over. I wouldn't mind going back next year, but it's expensive and time-consuming. All I can say is I'm glad I accepted the challenge when my mother dared me to join last summer. It hasn't been for nothing.
What I enjoyed most about the whole affair was the push-to-the-limits mindset it gave me, the sarotonin increase which rescued me from many depressed evenings, the push-yourself attitude that arose in me, the weight I lost and the self-satisfaction.
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