Last weekend I saw on Facebook a bunch of photos posted from this year’s club nationals swim meet, and oh boy did it send me down memory lane! I dug up a bunch of photos from my college swimming days, and spent a lot of time thinking about all the wonderful memories and friendships I made, all the places I got to travel, and it REALLY made me miss swimming itself.

Joining the George Mason Swim Club when I went to school was hands down one of the best things I’ve ever done. It wasn’t varsity, but it was still competitive. It had all the same feels of swimming for a varsity college team, but you could commit as much effort to it as you wanted. I committed a lot of time to it because that’s where a majority of my friends came from and I just really love swimming! And there are so many things I would have never experienced if I hadn’t been a part of this wonderful team.

How many of you knew I spent two weeks in Malta one summer!? I met Andrew my freshman year of college through club swimming. Andrew, Alec, and myself were basically the three amigos while Andrew was in the states for a semester and he invited the two of us to come visit! Not only did I get to experience a new country with two of my best friends, but I also got to practice with Andrew’s swim team while we were there as well. This was one of the coolest experiences, and it was all made possible by our mutual interest in swimming.

Not only did I get to go to a different country, but we traveled all the way up and down the East Coast for swim meets, and I got to swim in several different states. My favorite meets were by far the Nationals Meets each year. I qualified all four years – my freshman year I even placed 14th in the 200 back! – and it was always a great way to bond with my teammates.

I continued to swim after college with the Patriot Masters team at George Mason, and was able to keep up a lot of my friendships this way. I didn’t really compete anymore at this point, but it was more of a way to hang out with my friends and continue practicing the sport I love.

Now some of you may be reading this and going, “what the heck, Megan, I thought you were a runner??” Well, I certainly run more now than I swim, but trust me, I’ll always be a swimmer at heart.

I made the transition to running when I moved back to South Dakota because there is no masters swim team here, and swimming by yourself just isn’t as fun. I never really enjoyed running before, in fact, any kind of land sport was pretty rough for me! But I love the camaraderie and support that comes with running with the Watertown Area Run Club, and the many new friendships I’ve been able to make through a different sport.

When I see people out there pursuing their passions or trying something new, it makes me so excited for them. I know if I hadn’t spent 16 years of my life swimming year round, my life would have turned out so differently. Swimming gave me something to look forward to, and as you can see from the above, it led to so many wonderful things. Now, even though it’s been replaced with running, I’ve still got so many things to look forward to, and new goals to strive for. My life really would suck if it wasn’t for these two sports and the people who have come into my life because of them!

Are you out there pursuing your goals and interests? If not, what’s holding you back? Are you scared to give something new a try? Maybe, it’s been a while since you’ve done something you were once passionate about, like a sport or whatever it may be, and you’re hesitant to get back out there and do it. If either of these things are the case, I’m here to tell you to take a chance and go for it! It was a little scary for me when I first started running. I wasn’t very good at it and I was worried about not being able to keep up. But I did eventually come to enjoy it and I worked at it, and now I’ve come so far in just a few years.

As for swimming, I would LOVE to get back in the pool more often. I miss it so much I may suck it up and go alone just so I can get back in the water. It’s been well over a a year since I’ve swam any form of laps, and I should really make it a point to get there more often. Of course, if anyone wants to join me and save me from swimming alone, I wouldn’t say no! Maybe you’ve always secretly wanted to get into swimming – now is your chance! 😉

Anyway, whether you’re swimming, running, crafting, singing – whatever! – through life, keep doing it!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger