Memories of a Gator

Sophia Passacantando, also known as S.Pazz, will be attending Tufts University in the fall.

MEMORIES OF A TATER

By Sophia Passacantando

Swim team has always been the quintessence of my summer. My other experiences between the months of June and August all swirl into a blur. But I can easily recall the highlights of practice water polo (my team always loses sorry guys), or major finishes at an A meet that came down to the very last relays. Life with the Gators has been one of the biggest, most beautiful parts of my life.

I have been with the MVP Gators since the time of the chain-handled showers, Debbie Miller's monopoly of the record board, and when the head coach had a tongue-piercing. The community at MVP seemed to have a strong gravitational pull, embracing my family, who had just edged in on the fringes of this whole other world when I was six.

Sophia and her 8 & under relay team

 

 

My parents quickly got insanely enthusiastic about this sport for me, and would take me to watch A-meets, for which I could only dream of qualifying. I would sit by, and wistfully watch Jayne-Marie Haley's relay or Ryann Doyle's powerful breaststroke, and know that this was the most exciting thing that I could possibly do. For the past 11 years, our Saturdays have been occupied with meets filled with haphazard costume themes, green hairspray that sank into more scalp than hair, and the best scones in the entire NVSL (this is not even hyperbole and they are made by Mrs. Metter of course). We return home with sore throats, tired legs, and the announcer's voice playing on repeat inside our heads. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some other senior, and Sophia

Swim meets act as showcases to other teams of what MVP is all about. The feng shui of our team area spotlights our sportsmanship. Because of the long walkway through “enemy grounds,” the opposing team gets to venture through hordes of hopeful hands sticking out to ease the competitive tension between swimmers. Whatever team you are on, WE WILL TRY TO HIGH FIVE YOU.

Sophia & Gator Friends

MVP, while now in Division 3 and among insanely competitive teams, manages to maintain its laidback and supportive environment while continually rising up into the most cutthroat divisions. The ULTIMATE part of being on a swim team, is seeing competing swimmers congratulate each other after their races, knowing that, for better or for worse, they help each other along. We shake hands after every swim and the race isn't over until the last competitor touches the wall.

 

I'm sure parents have noticed that, even while we strive for excellence, we do not break into pools in the dead of night to mark our territory for an upcoming meet, nor do we hire our 9-10's to paint banners of Gators bloodthirstily munching on a mangled corpse of a "insert opposing mascot here.” We do not condone turf wars because this isn't West Side Story or the Five Points, this is just summer swim. And while we are competitive and determined, we want everyone to be driving home smiling.  

Being a coach on my home team (and by "home" I really mean more of "family" and less in the geographical sense), has really made me appreciate all of my past swim instructors who, in turn, had to put up with me. This is a way of giving back to my people, after I have put so many coaches through practices of me hiding in bathrooms so I didn't have to swim. All of a sudden, we are the coaches who are trying to coax a crying 7-year old into the water on her first day.

 

The perks of being a MVP coach come in many forms. One, being a part of the fabulously never-ending B-meets. Two, being responsible for the greatest, most enthusiastic kids ever (and I'm still talking about the B-meet). After the most strenuous activity of handing out cards to children who only want to draw on your skin with pen, we coaches are burnt out. But suddenly, in the middle of the meet that will inevitably last till 9:30, the most excited swimmer approaches us, beaming because of her time drop of two seconds. She exclaims to us in her high pitched voice, incredulous because she never thought she could do it.

I'm telling you, that is the coolest part.

The team keeps us busy, tired, mildly smelling of chlorine and with pool hair that looks as if it hasn't seen a shower in days (because it really hasn't). We end up conversing more with 8 & unders than people our own age. This begins the weird time where our non-swim friends never seem to be on our same wavelength. They sleep in on Saturday mornings (actually all the mornings), acquire 2-piece suit tans, and have no newly formed calluses from walking on our treacherous bathroom floors. Our friends begin to get office jobs and internships, real work experience for the looming years ahead. They are taking vacations to other countries, going on mission trips, and they stay cool with AC instead of pool water. But really and truly, the best summer experiences that you could possibly get, come from the Gators.

And so here is my helpful list for all you little Gators, for one day you will be a coach too.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE BEING A 15-18 COACH/SWIMMER

1. Bring extra hair ties, because the rapunzels on our team usually show up expecting us to stuff yards of hair into a 5 in. diameter cap

2. Do not challenge Torie Bolger in water polo, you will lose

3. You don't really need to bring a water bottle for 3 hours of coaching, the pool water will do just fine

4. If you are like my family and wake up approx. 3 minutes before you need to leave for morning practice, please remember your suit because it is slightly important

5. Figure out the names of your swimmers the first week and get them down, because calling them by names you make up isn't always effective

6. Do not constantly sing the swim sets to the swimmers, they will just laugh and then not know what to do

7. Tiramisu is a great mid-practice snack

8. Sometimes, when you are all out of clean towels, the lost and found can be a great resource

9. Paul's swim sets can only be deciphered by a select few-find the ones who can translate

MVP has been an enormous part of my life. My many experiences on the team have taken me everywhere from an All-Star Relay win, to the possession of numerous rainbow "competitor" ribbons (the DQ ribbons are among the most beautiful to behold so all is not lost). I have swum every stroke possible (there are only four but still) and in addition, ones that don't legally exist (the aforementioned rainbow ribbons).

I know what it feels like to go into a race, knowing that, at best, hopefully, I won't get dead last. And I know what it feels like to go into a race where everyone expects you to win. These experiences through swimming -  combined with all the incredible individuals that have come with it - have taught me so much and shaped much of who I am now.

As many people know, I have pretty much left the world of swimming for running, but have still hung on to MVP with an iron grip (4:30 am practice wasn't that hard to give up though, I'll be honest). With such a brilliant team culture, I am going to miss everything about the MVP Gators. Thank you to Coach Paul and everyone who has been a part of this team, you have influenced me and so many others to carry on the Gator spirit wherever we are.

PEACE. LOVE. GATORS.