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I swam and played water polo all during high school. I still like swimming in the ocean, and I don't miss the competition.
In all four years of water polo, I only scored two goals. I just can't throw. A lot of my friends went on to compete in college, but I had to drop out. At the first college practice, we were playing 3 misses, and I scored with a very accurate shot to the upper corner. The goal keeper, who I respected a lot, said, "Oooh, scored with the off-speed shot!" I had thrown it my hardest. That was the moment I decided to stop competing. I could assist, defend, swim fairly fast, pass... but I just couldn't see staying in the game without being able to help my team score.
Chuckles, I know exactly what you mean when you question why you are swimming. It was very boring, but after a while, I started treating it more as a time to meditate than practice. I focused on my style more than power or speed. I envy your sprinting ability. People would always complain that I swam too slow, because I had a really smooth stroke. Then I would show them my times and they had nothing to say after that. I wish you luck with the competition, and I hope you don't get burnt out on swimming.
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Champagne for my real friends... and real pain for my sham friends.
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