Captaining for the UW Swim Club

One of the most rewarding experiences I had at the University of Washington was being a captain for the UW Swim Club. It was a role that allowed me to combine my passion for swimming with leadership and community building. As a captain, I was responsible for organizing practices and leading the team at competitions. I became a point of contact for new members and was the one people could turn to for advice and support. Swimming has largely been an individual sport for me, as I was always focused on my performance. However, being a captain made me realize how much I could contribute to the team dynamic and help others improve. I realized I could bring in the best parts of the sport that I loved from competitive club swimming in high school while also creating an inclusive and supportive environment suitable for the college club team dynamic.

In addition to general dynamics, I also developed my own set of rules for what a good captain should be. For example, I always made sure that when I swam the sets I would write for the team. I knew how demoralizing or discouraging it could be to see a captain or a leader prescribe a difficult set and then not do it themselves. I also made a point after these hard sets to always give verbal encouragement and acknowledge the hard work that everyone put in. I was very pleased to see that this pattern of encouragement caught on and others on the team started to do the same. It was a great feeling to see the team grow closer and more supportive of each other, and I think it made us all better swimmers in the end.