There’s Always More
The Golden Ticket Swim
Often when I meet with swimmers, I hear about the golden swim. Something along the lines of “Well, if I could just go ___, then I would get recruited to ____, and then I would be fast.” It’s an attitude that makes sense. We want all our work to be in pursuit of something- a point, a destination. The problem with this attitude? There’s always more.
Take for example, Pan Zhanle. It’s Night 1 of the 2024 World Championships, and he’s representing China in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Pan not only gets out to the lead, but sets the world record in the 100m freestyle in 46.80 seconds. By the end of this race, he is quite literally the fastest human to have ever swum the marquee event of swimming. A peak like few others in swimming, summited by a handful of athletes ever. And what happens the next morning, in the 200 free, where he was a major medal contender?
38th place, in a time of 1:51.03- an add of 6.38 seconds. Was it his full effort? Who knows. Was he probably coming off the highest high of his entire career? Almost certainly. But, do you think he got out of that pool with satisfaction and excitement? No way (for reference, after he became the fifth fastest performer ever this summer and one tenth off the world record, he described the race as being “a bit disappointing”).
So Where Do We Look?
The grind of swimming is constant, and never ending. No one result guarantees the rest will be successful, or easy, or that you will be satisfied. But one result is not why we do this. We do this for the pursuit of results. The satisfaction of getting better, and pushing yourself to be the best you can be. We do this for the process. The process of Pan bouncing back after the 200, and winning his first individual World Championship days later.
The golden ticket swim is an alluring idea, and there’s nothing wrong with daydreaming. But imagine if that were the case: if an entire career hinged on a single result, one that is often out of our control. Careers made or broken on one swim- it would turn to banging heads against a wall and an obsession with just one element of a career.
Which is why I pitch to you the following: that what’s far more fulfilling is deriving satisfaction along the way, in the journey and process. A satisfaction that is in your control, and far more long lasting than any single result. So the next time you think of the golden ticket swim in your head, remember that that swim doesn’t exist- and it would be a shame if it did.
Want More Help?
We all know that swimming can be really hard! And you may need help getting started with implementing little habits like these. That’s where we come in to help. At College Swim Connect, we connect you with experienced mentors: elite college swimmers who have figured this stuff out. They can guide you through and give you access to their own arsenal of tools that they’ve carefully created over the years. Enter your email on our site and get started today with a free meeting!
