The water in Concord tastes funny. Not all the water, just the water in the pool at the Beede Center, Concord's new fitness center. It's a bit too salty, like the ocean, which makes me feel like the water should be warmer. It isn't though; the temperature is fine. It's the taste that bothers me, though that was my only complaint today.
I had been told during my interview that "the public high school just built a new pool that is open to the community, so if you come here, you can keep swimming there." When I moved here, I resolved to do just that. I checked out the Beede Center (which is a gorgeous facility) a few weeks ago and saw that though they didn't have a Masters team, they did offer coached workouts twice a week. Since I had already decided, after listening to my friend Scott talk about how he swam 6,000 yards at his Masters practice, that I very much did not want to join a Masters team, I thought that coached workouts might be the appropriate way to go. Why not just join the Center and swim on my own? you might ask. Well, I tried that this past summer, and frankly, swimming alone sucks. I really hate it, and part of the reason I loved swimming so much, especially at Oberlin, was the sense of community that as formed on a team. It's difficult not to become super close when you're all hurting in every inch of your body. I wanted that feeling of together-ness, but without too much hurting. Thus, the twice a week coached workouts.
Today was the first day, and the first day I have seriously swam since February. Since my last competitive season. Since college. Since my shoulder decided that it didn't care it was my last competitive season. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous, especially since most of the other people in the group were middle to old aged and seemed like the had never swam a yard in their life. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that these people are getting out to swim. I just didn't want to be that girl, the ex-college swimmer that every body hates because she's faster than me and why does she have to be here, in this group, anyway? But I think my fears were in vain, because every one seemed very friendly and welcoming. Even though I hadn't swam very seriously at all since that last Conference meet, I still knew what I was doing, still could breathe every three, still had (basically) the feel for the water. And it felt wonderful. It was like coming home. I know that sounds super cheesy, but it's true. Swimming has always, always been a refuge for me, and, once again, I felt like I was back where I belonged, back where I didn't have to worry about anything except stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe. It was such a relief to be doing something I really knew how to do, rather than felt like I was just faking, like I do sometimes with teaching. It made me think about all the coaches I've ever had, all three of them, in those 11 years of hard, competitive swimming. How they must have started out just faking coaching too, just like I fake teaching sometimes*. How they must have finally gotten the hang of it, like I am, and will. How they became great at it, and how they inspired us to work harder, go faster, dream bigger. That's how I want to be, in teaching, and hopefully in coaching, if I ever get the chance. I want to make kids feel like I felt today, swimming for the first time in months. That the pool is where they belong.
I have a new coach now. His name is Mike. Funny how I keep getting coaches with one syllable names- Wolf (ok, that's just his nickname, but that's who he'll always be to me), Dan, Mark, and now Mike. He seems nice, and I'm interested to see how he'll deal with me alongside everyone else. We talked briefly about a possible coaching position for me at the club team there. It sounds so perfect I don't even want to consider it too much, lest it disappear as one of those things that was "too good to be true." I do have to put CA first, in any case, so we'll see what happens.
So, I'm back in the water now, back where I belong, at least twice a week. Things are really starting to settle down here and I realized today how much I really do love being here. I know it's only been a month, but everything has been so great so far, and even the stuff that hasn't been so great has been bearable, since I feel like I'm enough a part of the community now that I can have a hand in trying to make it better. And that's what I really love: community.
Wow, this post was so cheesy it's a bit sad. But it's the truth; what more can I say?
*Obviously I'm not actually faking, since I am teaching these kids every day. I guess it just feels like I'm faking since I had absolutely no experience 6 weeks ago on my first day.
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