Bucknell Men's Swimming and Diving Blog - Daniel Wallace
2/6/2014 12:02:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving
The end is nigh. My days here at Bucknell are now numbered, and my career as a swimmer is quickly coming to an end. The realization that Patriot league Championships are just a short two weeks away, and with the conclusion of that meet I also conclude my career as a swimmer, has caused me to do lots of reflecting on my time at Bucknell and my swimming career as a whole. It's a weird feeling to have something that was (is) the defining part of your life come to an end. I know I won't have this feeling again for a while, so I best record it in writing.
Entering Bucknell as an 18-year-old kid back in August of 2010 seems like it all happened just yesterday. I could tell you exactly where we parked the car on move-in day, who I met first on my freshman hall, and even describe to what the weather was like that day. It's hard to believe that that was almost all four years ago, and it makes me think, “Where did all this time go?” Now, as a senior in the final months of my college career, I like to think that I've grown in many ways since that day as an incoming freshman. The experiences I've had and the relationships I've fostered over these last four years have helped me learn about who I am and have caused me to push my limits in ways I never thought possible.
Swimmers are thinkers. Deep thinkers. We spend on average four hours of our day in the pool. Sure, we are concentrating on the task at hand, but so much of that time is left up in the air. Left for us to think about anything and everything. Sometimes even nonsensical things. Try being locked in your own thoughts for that amount of time each day and you'll find it's extremely difficult. This alone is the reason I think swimming is one of the toughest mental sports anyone can compete in. All of this time of just myself locked in my brain has been at sometimes a burden, but at other times the most productive moments of my day. This is where much of my daily reflection happens, and with that I've learned a few lessons about life. Looking back on it I don't think I realized what I was learning when I was actually learning it. But life is always like that. Hindsight being 20/20. Here are some of my main takeaways from my career as a swimmer and a college student…
Victories don't come easy. From big victories like winning a championship meet or a dual meet to small personal victories like putting up just a little more weight in the gym, every victory, large or small, takes an immense amount of work. Something my dad always told me was, “Somewhere, somehow, someone else is practicing, but when you meet on the battlefield you'll be the victor.” I never fully understood this until my senior year of college. There's always going to be someone willing to go the extra step to get ahead of the competition. You just have to be one step ahead of them. This doesn't just apply to sports, but to life in general.
This time has also caused me to even think about the concept of time. One second here, half a second there. In the grand scheme of things that will ever occur in your life I promise you one second will not matter. Ever. But for swimmers this concept of time governs our life. A perfect example was when we swam against Army and I anchored the 400 free relay. Our relay came in second to the Army relay by a grand total of 0.01 seconds. Almost nothing. A non swimmer would tell you that our time and the Army relay's time were identical. But a swimmer's perception of time is governed by the hundredths. It's hard to wrap your mind around such an insignificant amount of time, but to us it matters. Time is important.
Last but not least I've finally realized that, no matter what endeavor you choose to pursue in life, it really is all about the process. Coach Dan Schinnerer talks about this all the time, and I have to admit that sometimes it would literally go in one ear and out the other. “Sure Dan, the process. I don't care about it, I just want to swim fast and that's it.” Not until recently have I realized that the process is literally the most important thing. Even more important than the outcome you are shooting for. There is always a certain sense of accomplishment when you finish a task, but when you look back on it, it's the process that makes it all worthwhile. In one of my favorite movies, 180 South, Yvon Chouinard talks about climbing Mount Everest. He says how all these high-powered executives and CEO's seek out to climb the world's tallest mountain but along the way the Sherpa have everything done for them. From their meals being cooked to the ladders being planted and even to their sleeping bags being laid out. Sure, these guys climbed Everest but they gained nothing from the experience. Compromising the process makes you no better than when you started. This certainly applies to swimming. Practices were hard and all the early morning swims are something I will not miss, but had I done none of that along that way and taken the easy way out I would not have realized that in order to achieve your end goal, it's the process that matters.
With such little time left as a college student-athlete, all I can do now is sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride. I've done all the stroke technique that I can do, perfected my flipturns, and have practiced starts to the point where my reaction almost seems instantaneous. There is nothing left for me to do other than envision victory, enjoy my time, and trust in the process. Swimming will always be a part of my life and I am thankful for the opportunities it has given me. But for now I'm just going to kick back and watch it all play out like we have planned.
Soon to be “swammer”…
- Danny Wallace