Do it for you, team
Striving for personal best good for you and the team
Swimming is an individual sport.
It’s in a pool with a whole bunch of other people, but it’s an individual sport. Every person has the opportunity to progress at their own rate.
But, the competition serves a purpose. If all a person does is practice, how do they know if they have improved? Swimming has a very tangible gauge – time. If you took three seconds off, you’ve improved. But that can’t be IT?! That would be boring, wouldn’t it?
Ask any Dorado – times aren’t everything.
Sure, you train for results. But how could you spend hours in the water surrounded by strangers doing the same boring thing? That’s where the heart of the Dorados come in.
When you train with someone every day, you learn way more about them than you should know. Nah, they really become your family. They scrap. They yell. They laugh hysterically, cry and hug. They’ve showered together. They’ve sat in cars for hours together. They’ve eaten from each other’s lunch kits. They’ve shared water. They’ve probably shared school rumours, boyfriend and girlfriend chatter, towels, and definitely clothes.
But memories are the most important part of this program.
Whether you swim as slow as a snail, or as fast as Lexie, you can be on our team. Everyone can do this. And because swimming is a work in progress, there’s always work to do. Perks to that work can be earning your spot on the relay team. Who do you swim for? Well, the obvious answer is ‘me.’ Second to that would likely be my relay team.
When you get to swim on a relay team, it’s not just about you anymore. It’s about how well you can do for your team. It’s about showing all of the competitors who has your back. Who stands with you. And who you stand for. It’s not just what you can do, but what you can do together.
My favorite example of a relay memory happened in Moncton. Wade Francis participated in the individual 50m freestyle event right out the gate of event #1. He earned a 0.5 second personal best time. In 50m as fast as you can go, that’s a lot to lose! Then, after his other two individual events, he swam in back to back relays. Again, it was the 50m freestyle and he took more time off each race.
Wade had three personal best swims … for the same event.
He did what he could for his team. And it was even more that he did for himself.
Have you found your team yet? Paul’s Food Factory is our champion! We continue to ask for business sponsors for this growing team. If you are interested in supporting our young athletes and making their Olympic dreams happen, send us a message anytime at capebretondorados@gmail.com.