Having been a swimmer my entire life, the pool has become a place of solace for me. Doing high school I made some of my best friends through the swim team. One of my best friends from high school joined the Ohio State Club Swim Team last year during her freshman year and when I came to Ohio State I decided to join the team as well. My first swim practice I went with my friend from high school and her friends. They were all very nice and each told their favorite memories from club swimming. 

Joining club swimming has been the perfect student organization for me because I have been able to make amazing friends while remaining active. Swimming gives me an opportunity to take my mind off of classes and recenter myself. The practices are Monday through Thursday at 7:45pm which has been very beneficial for me. Now I am more motivated to complete my homework early so I have time to attend practice. Taking a break from assignments and studying is also beneficial and helps me regain my focus. Being active is important to me and swimming is one of the best workouts for the body. Not only is swimming easy on the joints, but it is also a full body workout. Swimming is a form of exercise that a person can easily continue to do throughout their entire life.

At first I was worried about being able to complete the workouts because I hadn’t been swimming competitively during the summer but each practice’s workouts are a suggestion and individuals can scale the workout to fit their needs. I was invited to swim with a few of the sophomore girls and it was a really great time. They played music and were very welcoming. I had originally been worried about fitting in with the team but I quickly made new friends and now we walk to practice and get dinner after practice most days of the week. The team also has social events of the weekends so teammates can bond outside of the pool. One of the club leaders will make dinner at their house and everyone will eat food and hang out. I can definitely see myself holding a leadership position in the club one day. I think I would do well in the vice president position because their job is primarily communicating to the team important information about dues, meets, and events. Though I could also see myself as the meet coordinator because one of my strong suits is planning events. 

I am grateful to have found the club swim team because it has provided me with the opportunity to make friends with older students which is great because they give helpful advice and are wonderful connections for the future. Already I have learned about how to secure off campus housing for my junior year and how to find a research position. Though the team is much larger than my high school team, I have found that it is still a very close knit community and supports each team member.