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34 Things You Only Understand If You Were a Competitive Swimmer

1. Your hair changing colors because of chlorine is a real thing.

2. Losing track of laps midway.

3. Crowded lanes were the worst.

4. The aggravation of someone passing you but then slowing their speed down…

5. The beauty of having your own lane.

6. Struggling to find things to wear because of your broad shoulders.

7. That first time you learned how to flip turn and got a lot of water up your nose…..

8. Or learning how to breathe by turning your head, made it look like you were drowning.  

9. And learning backstroke and aggressively slamming your hand against the concrete because you didn’t turn in time.

10. And learning how to jump off the block and getting pissed at the person who did it too soon…

11. Being that person, once upon a time, and not stopping because you just thought everyone was cheering you on.

12. You probably have more ribbons than you know what to do with.

13. The pain of being last heat for relays at a swim meet.

14. Not understanding when people tell you they don’t know how to swim.

15. You learned how to swim right around the time you learned walking.

16. Even though the strong smell might be killing brain cells you like the smell of chlorine.

17. Secretly liking when it thundered and your outdoor meet got canceled.

18. Mastering how to put on a swim cap without hurting yourself.

19. You probably have helped a guy shave his back at one point.

20. Seeing guys in speedos didn't really faze you.

21. Being able to eat whatever you wanted.

22. PASTA!

23. Hating land workouts.

24. Getting water in your goggles put you into panic mode.

25. Swallowing water didn't really faze you.

26. If you didn't do butterfly, you kind of secretly hated people who did it gracefully…

27. Because you both looked and felt like you are drowning in any attempt.

28. Good bathing suits cost a fortune.

29. Peeing in the pool is a thing #sorryNotsorry

30. Secretly judging other swimmers based on what heat they were.

31. 5AM morning workouts were like a thing from hell.

32. Swimmer’s ear was a very real thing your life

33. Cold water over warm water any day

34. Still calling yourself a swimmer even years later. 

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