Raegan Magnus, a swimmer for LAC (Lakeview Aquatic Club) over the last 11 years, expresses how the support of a team can help when dealing with some of the disappointments that come along with the sport. Magnus emphasizes the importance and closeness her team has with each other.
“You get people that are like your sisters; they go through the same stuff as you every single day. You’re all feeling and going through the same things, but we’re doing it together,” Magnus said.
Expressing some of the difficulties that come with a sport like swim, you have a lot of time to think. That can be a positive for some people, while it may not be so positive for others. When training for different meets, Magnus was separated from most of the team, doing different sets at the opposite end of the pool.
“It just took a toll on me to not be around the team, to not be able to do what they’re doing, to be stuck in my head for three hours straight; that gave me a lot of time to think,” Magnus said.
“I’ve learned you can’t be 100% 100% of the time.” Learning to manage through the struggles a sport can bring along with it, is something that takes time. But having people with you throughout that journey can sometimes make that process easier.
Many athletes deal with pressure daily, whether from coaches, teammates, parents, or themselves.
“You want to do the best you can for everyone, not only for yourself, because that’s not what it’s about. PRs are for yourself, but your performance is for everyone else. The pressure of competition is by coaches or yourself; it stresses you out a lot more than it needs to, but it can be tough to accept that it’s okay not to do great every single time,” Magnus said. “It’s okay to not PR every race; you’re not gonna win everything, but it’s hard to understand and accept that.”
“I would like to say that I’ve changed as a person; swimming has sent me into a better mentality, where I want to keep striving for more,” Magnus said.
