Why Our Sport Will Never Be The Same

Oct. 10

Eight days this summer from all the way on the other side of the world changed the sport of swimming forever. Our sport burst from relative anonymity to mainstream American media seemingly overnight. Coverage became routine, even with special sections on the ESPN Bottom Line. Americans, even those with no connection to our sport, sat down before a television for eight days to watch a swim meet in excitement. Every night people learned more about our sport and the dedication it takes for success. Appreciation grew and so did popularity. However, all this excitement is nothing new to those who have lived most of their lives in the swimming world.

From within, it just seems so unreal. One morning in August on my way home from an early practice, I found myself pulling my car to the side of the road because an FM radio talk show host began a conversation about the now famous 4 X 100 Men’s Freestyle Relay in which American Jason Lezak out-touched Frenchmen Alain Bernard. I had to make sure my ears were not hearing things. It sounds cliché, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that a swim race would become a topic of conversation on the airwaves.

Although America moved on from the excitement, it still resonates within the swimming community. I still see it in many ways: a desktop background, an iPod video, a poster on the wall, a mentality on the pool deck. The mentality that races are never over until the wall is touched. The mentality that there is no deficit that is impossible to overcome.

For our team, a lot of preparation goes into the season before the first results are even tallied. We complete seven weeks of official practices before our first competition at the beginning of November. Some might not understand how, but these seven weeks set the tone for our successes in February and March. As individuals and as a team, we have high goals and expectations. Finishing second in the University Athletic Association last year only helps to keep us focused on our goals during this period. Our competition this year is more difficult with dual meets against Kenyon College (they’ve won 29 consecutive D3 Men’s National Championships) and Denison University (ranked the #1 dual meet D3 men’s team). We look forward to the challenges that are in front of us with the same mentality demonstrated to the world one night in August.