Racing in a Charity Swim Meet

On Saturday morning I competed in my first swim meet since college and to say I was a bit nervous is an understatement. If you have been around Sparkles and Shoes a while you know that I swam competitively for the better part of 14 years but at the end of college I hung up the proverbial towel.  Occasionally when I visit my parents in Cape Cod or Florida I will hop in the pool but I definitely do not swim with any regularity. In fact before this weekend the last time I had been in the pool was August.

One of my friends, Kristen, still swims comparatively and started a group text a few weeks ago with all of the Georgetown swimming alumni in New York City to see who be interested in jumping back in the water for a good cause.  Five girls decided we would take the plunge and signed up for the Great Relay benefiting the Trident Swim Foundation. In college we had 6am Saturday morning practice and it was eerily similar to have the alarm go off on a Saturday to go swimming. I do not recall the last time I was on the Columbia University campus but I met up with two girls at the gates and we wandered around on the chilly Saturday morning looking for the pool.

Once we found the pool we slipped on suits, warmed up, and then began the great relay – six Georgetown swimming girls along with three guys for the Great Relay – 5,000 yards non-stop with each of us swimming 50 yards at a time. With so many people on the team we each swam 11 times and had a nice three to four minute break in between each race.  I kept my phone nearby on the diving board and was able to take some cute pics:

It was a great morning of swimming and it made me remember how much I miss the best parts of the sport I loved for so many years – the races are the best, the 25 hours of practice per week? Not so much.  I hope I will be able to do this again next year!