To be honest, there are few things I enjoy about competitive swimming. It may come as a surprise that I don't enjoy going to practice at 8:00 at night, driving 35 minutes to Goftstown and plunging into a hot foggy pool only to swim seemingly countless laps, but let me assure you I had no intensions of repeating last year's season of spandex suits and caps.
But nevertheless, at 3:00 I sauntered into room 135, signed my name, and collected my paper work.
Why was I willing to put myself through this torture again? There are few things I despise more than laying down at 7:30 to watch tv and remembering I need to be at practice in 30 minutes. I didn't feel like I was abandoning my team, really. I'm a recreational team member meaning my times matter only to me, and my overly competitive father with his own stopwatch. So why did I pick up the papers? Because there is nothing like after a long friday practice, having a bonfire at a teammates house. Some of my fondest high school memories consist of going out to dinner after swim meets and lamenting about not wanting to go to tomorrows practice. I realized if I didn't do swim team, these nights would seise to exist. It's not that I think my friendships with my teammates are contingent on me swimming, but it would be impractical to drive up to Londonderry for pizza after a meet or to keep every Friday night open incase the team decides to go to airport diner after practice. Sure I'll probably complain about swimming late on a Tuesday night or cramming in homework before a meet, but in the end the memories I make with the team and the friendships I strengthen make it worth it.
Word Count: 307
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