By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam
Courtesy: Elizabeth Spencer Rosenthal
Every day, dads are in the swim of things, making life better, especially at the pool. When dads show up on deck, much like a backstroke race, things start looking up! On meet days, Swim Dads pull the wagons and carry the chairs and coolers. They show up with cool cameras with extra powerful lenses that not only preserve special moments in time, they make every swimmer look like an Olympian. They distinguish themselves as lane timers and lead timers, lend their voices as meet announcers and can be counted on to faithfully keep track of laps in distance races.
Swim Dads can be some of the best cheerleaders on deck. That’s because many come equipped with a unique set of sound effects. They don’t just cheer— they whistle loudly and may have a cowbell. They can often be heard yelling odd but encouraging things like, “hup hup!” or “legs legs legs legs!” And even if your own dad isn’t there, a Swim Dad is everyone’s dad on race day.
With the crack of a dad joke or a reassuring word, a fist bump or a hug, they can make kids smile in the aftermath of a disappointing race or a pair of broken goggles.
Another driver of team success is that many Swim Dads also have a truck! And that is key, as they haul team tents, transport cases of water and pick up and deliver team dinners. They can carry a whole bunch of kids to or from a meet and deliver hurricane supplies the team has collected to distribute to others in need. The back of the truck can double as a prime napping spot between prelims and finals, provide refuge from the cold in between races and become the coolest space to bond with teammates, laugh and play music while waiting out a lightning delay.
The back of our family car, on any given day, resembles a traveling swim meet, complete with deck chairs, stadium chairs, snacks, old heat sheets, rain jackets, towels and at least one parka. Even in Florida!
Some Swim Dads I know routinely carry a spare white shirt and a whistle, just in case they are called upon for officiating duty. (And the answer is yes, officials are always needed!)
Swim Dads also lend support as fundraisers, helping team families pool their resources to purchase much-needed gear and equipment. And, like their Swim Mom counterparts, Swim Dads are pretty solid in the food department. Swim Dads are famous for manning the grill under the concessions tent. They can serve up bacon and egg sandwiches in the morning and seamlessly transition to hamburgers and pulled pork perfection in the afternoon. My kids have always said there’s nothing like a swim meet burger. Or two.
Swim Dads are also a computer-savvy bunch. Their extraordinary technical skills help make the electronic side of things run smoothly. They make sure the console and the meet manager are communicating, that the touch pads are in place and that the meet computer is properly connected to the scoreboard. (And there’s like, no pressure when only a few hundred swimmers and parents are counting on you!)
They also have important low-tech skills, which should not be overlooked. Swim Dads will swoop in with precision timing to secure a team tent at the very moment it’s about to go airborne, saving it from being carried away by a rogue gust of wind.
But most of all, in any weather, Swim Dads make sure their swimmers know, without a doubt, that they are loved and supported. And on Father’s Day, we can return the favor by telling all the swim dads, “We’d be underwater without you.”
ABOUT ELIZABETH SPENCER
Elizabeth Spencer Rosenthal is a wife and mother of 3 from Miami. She is a passionate swim mom, volunteer and meet official, with a professional background in marketing and public relations. She holds a degree in Public Communication from American University, and loves finding a story to tell.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Why Can’t We Live Without Swim Dads? They Help Keep Our Teams Afloat
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