100 miles of swimming motivates members
2020 started off bright, with the hope that 40 brave swimmers would complete the Y’s first swim challenge: 100 miles in 2020!
“I wanted to participate because I really needed a way to encourage myself to swim more,” says Y member Ann Craig. “After shoulder surgery about 10 years ago, I haven’t really returned to my swimming routine. I was working out every day in Y classes and the gym, but as I age, I know how important it is to continue swimming–keeping impact out of my joints and getting a cardio workout that doesn’t pound my feet and knees.”
Swimmers kept track of their laps in a binder by the pool and watched their progress on a giant poster in the Y’s hallway.
“It is an ambitious goal,” says Aquatics Director Sabrina Hershey Black. “These swimmers had to really commit to coming to the pool, counting their laps and logging their progress. They were prepared to modify their schedules based on vacations or catching a cold, but no one could have predicted pools closing for so long.”
The Y closed its facility due to COVID-19 on March 13. Other area pools followed shortly thereafter. Even with facilities’ reopening in the summer and fall, swimmers were required to reserve lap lanes and limit their time in the pool.
Dozens of them continued to keep track of their swims virtually, knowing that it not only helped with their physical fitness, but also their mental health during the stress of a global pandemic.
“Swimming is very meditative,” Ann says. “It helps me to slow down, focus and pay attention to the little things.
When I swim I think about the position of my hips, the sound of the water, the rhythm of the stroke and not the million other responsibilities I have in the world.”
The 2020 100-mile swim challenge did not end how it was envisioned, but participants’ enthusiasm means that it will return in years to come.
“I am so proud of these water-lovers who adapted to the world around them and found time, energy and the wherewithal to continue to swim,” Sabrina says. “People turn to the Y for guidance and inspiration through difficult times, so it was fortuitous that we had launched the swim challenge before COVID-19.”
