It’s here, it’s here! The best time of the year is really, truly almost here! And what time of year is that, you may ask? Summer swim season of course! This idyllic summer activity, known for its colorful ribbons, zany team cheers, and sharpie body art, has finally come once more. Coaches are gearing up for their springtime start, kiddos picking out their summer training suit, and parents debating which volunteer position they’d like to try this year. Everyone is ready to develop some more swim team memories!

Summer swim has become a staple of many families’ summer plans and the focal point of many fond memories. In anticipation of this momentous start, SwimTopia polled local summer swim coaches and ex-summer swimmers regarding their favorite memories. We’re tickled to share some of the responses! Hopefully these fun stories get you (and your young athletes!) itching for another great season under the sun!

Favorite Summer Swim Team Memories!

• “Once I false started my backstroke and my mom jumped into the pool from the opposite side to stop me! She was scared I would waste all my energy for the actual race!”

• “Vaseline watermelon relays after Friday practice!”

• “When I was Meet Director, I loved getting to the pool really early for set-up. The calm before the storm. And then watch my amazing team transform the pool in 30 mins as everyone started stumbling in, bleary eyed. The set up crew were working like crazy and had 20 tents and 60 chairs and everything else in place in no time!”

• “Being the last swimmer coming into the wall during one of my races but having every single person, including others from the opposing team, cheering for me!”

• “EAT MY BUBBLEZ”

• “It was always SO cold inside the natatorium we practiced in so we got to wear sweats even in the summer!”

• “My final year coaching, when the team knew it was my last, every kid brought me one flower. The team parents brought vases and, as each kid came in for awards night, they gave me a flower and hand written/drawn cards. Adorable! What a way to go out. Side note, I had 250 kids on my team! The vases were overflowing!!”

• “Eating soggy powdered donuts in the pool after the championship meet…probably weren’t supposed to buuuuut…”

• “Singing ‘God Bless America’ while swimming backstroke. And also stopping to point out birds whenever they flew overhead!”

• “As a coach I definitely enjoyed our end-of-season party. We rented out the entire pool just for our team and got to be there after dark (turned on underwater lights–very cool). Played a bunch of games, threw footballs, did coaches vs. coaches chicken…lots of fun all around!”

• “Showing up early to practice in the morning to look for frogs in the gutters and collecting as many as I could.” 

• “As a coach, dressing up for theme nights and getting thrown in the pool at the end of the season. Also watching kids finally dive for the first time or complete their first legal butterfly/breaststroke race!”

• “Pushing the coaches into the pool after winning a meet!”

• “One of the years I coached I had a standout group of four 6 year old boys that won their relay every meet. One week at our home meet, they were messing around behind the blocks at the start and missed it. The little lead off guy realized and looked at me with this “what do I do?!” expression. I told him: “It’s okay buddy, just go, you don’t get disqualified for going late! Only early!” He dove in when the other team was more than halfway down the pool and they still won”

Mariah, part of SwimTopia’s sales and marketing team, grew up swimming summers in Austin, Texas. Her favorite memories include: participating in the tri medal meet each year (championship meet versus two other teams and with awesome place medals), relays, and playing water baseball on Fun Friday!