Any competitive swimmers?
 

Just like to know if anybody here swims competitively or has in the past? I swim now, have been for awhile. I compete in the 100m free, 50m free and 100back. I really dont know why I swim (because its so damn borin and requires so much time :P ) I suppose the only reason is because its a time where I can push myself to the limit, be alone if i want to, and the adrenaline rush I recieve while swimmin in a meet.

I sure do, part of my triatholon stuff.
Theres a race that the other guys of my team are in (not me this time, Im busy) from Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park in San Francisco on Saturday this weekend, you should check it out if your really interested.

i used to swim.. 2 years ago i think.. i loved it, i was at it for a large chunk of my life. i was a backstroker, damn good at it, too. problem is, a year or two after i finally started making *huge* improvements in my backstroke, we had problems with our coach and he ended up having to resign. after a year of going through 3 horrible coaches, my backstroke just wasn't what it could have been :(. plus, the friends i had in the club that pushed me hard ended up quitting and i wasn't getting the push i needed. that coupled with a newfound social life, and i lost interest. i hope i go back someday, i don't have enough time now, with school and all.. but i loved being able to push myself until i could barely climb out of the water after my races. 200m back was my specialty :).. and i was pretty decent at 200m free, 400m free, and 1500m free...

I used to swim for many many years. Was fairly competitive, won many medals, and went away on many swimming competitions in other states. Was a good way to keep fit when I was young. It all ended when i turned 18 and found BEER, hahah.

I certainly don't miss getting up at 4:30am every weekday morning.

Spent four years swimming competitively in high school and always loved it (well, most of the time...). I did the 50m free, any breaststroke event and often helped out in the 400m relay.

I keep swearing I'm going to get back into it as it's such good exercise, but I think I know that without a coach there, pushing me, I wouldn't get as much out of it as I used to.

I was in waterpolo for 3 years back in highschool and I swam competitively on the offseason as well as the summertime in an outside league. I was definately in the best shape of my life during that time. I could not stand the long distance races, I was more of a sprint swimmer. My favorite was the 50m free, 100m free, and I loved relays. Unfortunatly I also had a fast butterfly and breaststroke so I often was put in the damn IM events which I dreaded with a passion (ugh I had a lactic acid flashback).

Swam competitively from around 6 years old till 14 or 15. For several of those years I was swimming more than 3 miles a day 5 days a week during the summer as I practiced with my sister's age group (7 years older than me) and my own.

Would love to get back into it (even if it was just to get into shape). Unfortunately there isn't a decent pool around me.

Swam Butterfly, Free Style, and Breast stroke. Also did the IM on a fairly regular basis.

butterfly scares the living crap outta me, its so damn tiring lol. After a 100 butterfly (which doesn't seem to end) I just die. Im dead. rest of the day, im dead lol. I couldn't imagine doing 200 of that. I also played waterpolo. Doin some swimmin now tho.

I have played in many competetive sports leagues in my life (Basketball, Football, Soccer, Baseball, Boxing, Water Polo, and a few others) but water polo is hands down the toughest sport I have ever played. Nice to see a fellow h2o boi on the forums :)

hehe all-american polo player atm :P Really one of the things i am proud of. Gonna go try for all-american swimmin

Where in California do you play for?

Near the Bay Area. About 40mins out so polo and swimmin are really really competitive here, nearly as much as So Cal. Durin summer season I head down there and play too.

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.

Mmmmmm... swimmers. Swimmers have great shoulders.

I am not a competitive swimmer. But I appreciate swimmers bodies ;)

Ya, I live in Southern California. I was on a very good water polo team who had a 3 year CIF win streak. The toughest teams that we used to play were the damn beach teams... Newport, Huntington, etc.

Swimming!!
 

One of my all-time favorite pass-times. :D I swam competitivly from 11-17. Pretty damn good at Freestyle. I swan 100m free. 200m. IM (one of my favs, talk about barely being able to stand when you get out :D ) 50m butterfly, 100m. backstroke and both freestyle and medley relays.

Wow!! Those were some awsome times. *Smiles*. I'd give anything to get back to those days.

I'm pretty outta shape now, it has been eight years. I know it's never too late to go back. But it would be difficult.:p

Cheers, you made me smile today! :)

I have NO stamina in the pool. I can swim really fast and enjoy it too, but i cant just do lap after lap. Im pretty fit for terrestrial sports, but i cant match it in the water. This big guy i work with can do 100 laps no sweat.