Watching David Swim

My youngest son David swims on the local YMCA's swim team.  Since joining the team in the fall of 2012, David attends practice regularly.  He absolutely loves being in the water and has accomplished much in his short career- a team record, second place in a multi-race event against forty-five competitors, and earning a chance to participate in a regional championship to name a few.  Successful swimming demands characteristics that come naturally to the quirks of David's personality- discipline bordering on obsession, precision of movement, and total body strength. 

Swimming is technically a team sport because there are other swimmers whose race times add up to a collective victory or loss for the group. The bathing suits, apparel, and caps share the team colors and logo.  The same children dive off the blocks and complete laps alongside each other at the evening and weekend practices.  The faces of the mothers and fathers become familiar staples on the poolside stands and tables and chairs behind the glass.  We sit together and cheer for each other's kids as we pass many hours at swim meets.   There is a sense of shared commitment and togetherness among the swimmers and their families.

The sport of swimming, however, is different than other sports in which my friends' children participate.  Swimming is inherently and uniquely an individual action.  The swimmer's movement in the water is a product of his and only his knowledge, technique, and effort.  Nobody passes the ball so your child can make the winning shot.  Nobody blocks the opposing team's defensive actions paving the way for your child to be the hero of the game.  Nobody can be blamed for your child's inability to make the play.  The truth is that no one can make your child look good or succeed except for himself.  The swimmer reaps the rewards he sows. 

Watching the repetitive motion of David swimming relaxes my mind and I grow pensive. Swimming is indeed a lot like life.  Time-honored maxims like "you get out of it what you put into it," and "no pain, no gain" come to mind.  We all have heard the expression "sink or swim," haven't we?  Swimming is all about embracing personal accountability, achieving goals through determination and hard work, and the unemotional and unbiased judgement of a timer.  There are winners and there are losers. 

I gaze at the water as David swims from one end of the pool to the other, and back again to repeat this action, over and over again for nearly two hours. His stroke is so smooth it seems effortless. His lean frame is graceful in the water yet he appears tall and powerful as he pulls himself out of the pool to walk to the starting block.  His strong shoulders and toned legs (carved from years of martial arts training) give him the appearance of a mini-model.  I wonder how many girls will be calling my house in the years to come!

I am at practice watching David swim for the fifth evening this week.  You might think I get bored sitting here for hours on end, but I don't.  Watching David swim is the time in my day when I am not thinking or worrying, or feeling sad or empty. I am simply watching his repetitive and beautiful motion.