CHAPTER 1 Lifetime Swimming

Swimming—there is no other truly lifelong sport. Babies are born with a natural affinity for water and its womblike feeling of security. Beginning with a baby’s first bathtub experiences, there are numerous opportunities to develop a relationship with the water. From six months, parent-and-tot programs teach parents how to make their children’s formative experiences with water safe, comfortable, and encouraging. Real swimming lessons begin as early as age three. In many areas of the country, children start racing in summer swim leagues as early as age five. Kids can stay involved in swimming through programs such as community summer leagues and USA Swimming’s (USAS) age-group teams, then move on to high school swimming and then to college varsity and intramural swimming. United States Masters Swimming (USMS) is an extension of age-group swimming that offers organized training and competition for swimmers of all abilities age 18 or older. Masters competitions range from small local meets with a couple dozen swimmers lasting just a couple hours all the way up to international meets that draw thousands of competitors together for a week or more. Senior Olympics offers popular, though more limited, competitive opportunities for swimmers of all abilities age 50 and over. Of course, YMCA classes and community lap-swim classes are always an option. Many adults continue swimming literally until the day they die. It is common to see people in their 60s, 70s, or 80s swimming laps in lanes next to 20- or 30-year-old swimmers. In 1993, USMS amended its competition rules to add age groups for swimmers 100 years of age and up!

In this chapter we’ll explore where you might fit into the broad spectrum of adult swimmers. Next we’ll talk about the variety of benefits you can derive from claiming your rightful place among the chronically wet. Finally, I’ll dispel the common myths that sometimes give an otherwise would-be swimmer pause.