by Cameron Moore (7th grade)

Am I biased? Probably. But I think swimming is pretty cool.

You might think that swimming is just about jumping in a big pool and swinging your limbs around until you finish a lap. But, it is a lot more than that. Swimming requires a unique combination of technique and speed. Today, I will dive into the nooks and crannies of swimming and tell you why I think it is the underrated sport of the day.

Before we get into the complicated stuff, let me tell you the basics. There are four strokes: freestyle (the generic one), backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Each has their own unique mechanics and most swimmers will either specialize in one of them or will get good at all four strokes and become a medley swimmer.

Ok, let’s actually dive in now.

Freestyle is the simplest by far. You simply take long strokes through the water and kick in an alternating pattern. So, expectedly, it is one of the most swam strokes, at youth levels especially. It is also the fastest stroke, which is why it’s often hard to master. It’s easy to swim a freestyle race, but it is much harder to do better than everyone else in that same race. This is the beauty of swimming: the bar is set to accompany the stroke’s difficulty and speed very well.

Backstroke is my personal favorite stroke, and it is so unique from every other stroke. First of all, you are (shocker) on your back, making for a completely different racing experience. It uses the same kick as freestyle, but the stroke has your arms come out near your legs, and your shoulder rotates to put your arm back in behind your head, and your arms alternate this action.

Butterfly is the most tiring stroke. Your arms “fly” from your waist to your head in a fast, overhead motion, and using the momentum of your hips, you kick with both of your legs simultaneously. Fly is very difficult at younger ages because you need the stamina and strength to do it.

And finally, breaststroke, which is the most complicated out of the four. You kick by kicking your feet up towards your butt and kicking them back out, and you move your arms in a circular motion. It’s hard to explain, but is the most technique-oriented of the strokes.

Now that you know the basics, let me tell you about why I think it is such an underrated sport.

Swimming has lots of events, including single-stroke events, relays, and medleys (every stroke in one race). The lengths of the events also separate them. The 50 free (1 olympic-size swimming pool) and the 1650 free (1 mile) require much different strategies. This means some swimmers are sprinters, some are breastrokers, some are IM swimmers, and some like distance. There is so much variety in the sport, which makes it so much more interesting.

Strategy also plays an important role in swimming. Often, you have to have strength in not just your body, but also in your mind. Swimming, especially distance swimming, requires a lot of strategy. How fast do you start? How fast are you at the finish? What’s your pace? What’s your plan? The sport’s mental aspect isn’t just about planning, though. It is also important to have a positive mindset while swimming.

So, there you have it! Swimming is such an interesting sport with so many moving parts and a variety of events, and I think it deserves to be the Underrated Sport of the Day!