With the Junior National Championships in Irvine, CA coming up at the end of the month we teamed up with Funky Trunks and Funkita to take a moment to think about one of the most important people in a young swimmer’s support crew, Mom!
Here’s 10 ways to tell if you’ve become a Swim Mom!
1. You’ve mastered Excel spreadsheets
You’ve taken your Microsoft Excel skills to the next level, mainly on work’s time, as you’ve set up a tracking spreadsheet for training, race times, results and the season ahead.
2. You’re super organized
Your organizational skills have undergone a dramatic transformation to the point where you could now command a military operation. With your spreadsheets, a weekly meal planner, 3 page shopping list and logistics schedule for Swim Dad nothing will get in the way of your weekly mission.
Photo by @heatherilenenyc
3. Your favorite accessory is a stopwatch
You buy your own stopwatch and usually forget that you’re still wearing it around your neck at the end of the day. It has a special place at home next to the alarm clock and the back-up alarm clock so it’s ready to slip around your neck when you wake on race day.
Photo by @abc7brandi
4. Your race day prep is seamless (or close enough)
Your race day ritual to get the family out the door and to the pool has been rehearsed and practiced multiple times. The night before, snacks and drinks are packed in individual containers in the fridge and gear bags are at the front door. Every second counts to ensure a smooth journey to the pool on race morning.
Swim Mom and former Nebraska University swimmer Sasha Pine rocks her Funkita Prickly Pete bikinis with her boys Xander, Buster and Max in their Funky Trunks.
5. Your car is a swim taxi
You upgraded to an SUV at the start of the season and you’ve worked out how to perfectly pack swim gear and kids into it, including using the sunglasses holder for spare goggles. Your fingers glide effortlessly to the demister to constantly keep the condensation from wet towels, bodies and gear from fogging up the windscreen.
Photo by @givebackgirl_gingerwalker
6. You find yourself coaching from the bleachers
You know the lingo and you know when to shout it. “How many times have I told you no breathing off the wall,” rolls off your tongue like a tumble turn. Even though Jessie has her head underwater you still feel obliged to shout instructions from the stands.
7. Your breaststroke cheer is the loudest at the pool
You have perfected the art of slapping a rolled up program extremely loudly during breaststroke events and then spontaneously swinging it above your head in wild circles as Jessie approaches the finish. You learn to make a piercing whistle with no hands when this slapping technique is clearly not being responded to by Jessie who is tiring in the last 15 meters of the race.
Photo by @staceysutton
8. You find yourself always talking about Olympic swimmers
You start calling Olympic swimming stars by their first name only. Swim Dad raises his eyebrows when you say “Katie’s 400 free at Worlds wasn’t that impressive. Coach said our Jessie is swimming faster times than Katie did at her age.”
Photo by @sylviakoeler
9. You’ve learned that coffee is a coach’s best friend
You know the coach’s coffee order and the best time to deliver it during the meet warm up, when coach is making decisions on the final relay spot that you’re hoping little Jessie will secure.
Photo by @katfacemeow
10. You absolutely love the swim life!
It’s Sunday, the smell of chlorine drifts around the house from the pile of wet towels in the laundry waiting to be washed. The stove is humming with the week’s food preparations and Swim Dad and Jessie are napping after an early start at the pool, and several PBs thanks to your shouts of encouragement from poolside. It’s the perfect life.
The Pine boys lined up to race with Mom Sasha and three time Olympian husband Adam Pine taking the photo! We love their matching Funkita and Funky Trunks suits!
We love our Swim Moms and to the ones who are preparing to head to Junior National Championships we wish you and your ‘little one’ all the best and hope you have a fantastic time racing in Irvine!
1 Comment
I too am a dedicated swim mom who sist as quietly as I can, let’s the coaches manage the rest and only asked how she felt about her day of races or what she needs in ways of support. I became an official to support the meets and team. She’s now a D 1 swimmer and thanks me for not being one of those other types of swim moms. Know your child, be what they need, not what you need. (This is not a negative comment, just offering a different way if identifying as a swim parent.)