True Romance thru Swimming

[Peter Cruise]

Inspired by the adventures & advice recounted in the Women are trouble thread, I thought I'd propose a related thread: How I met my Sweetie through Swimming (masters or whatever).
I'll start the ball rolling...
Sixteen years ago I was taking advantage of an extended dayshift position in my (then) policing career by working out most mornings with a age-group club in North Vancouver and evenings with my masters club & was devoting myself to a rather monastic lifestyle designed to see just how far I could take my swimming-then...one night, in walks a new female swimmer to our masters workout & literally I thought "oh no, here comes trouble!" We made acquaintance through the post-workout ritual hottub & I knew that it was serious trouble when I discovered that she was a breastroker (I was surrounded by stroke philistines who preferred others) & after she took off her bathing cap (auburn hair? I'm sunk). Nevertheless, I stubbornly tried to adhere to my swimmerly vows of perfection attainment until a few weeks later after a local meet she mentioned that she had been given two tickets for a play & would I like to come along?

We've been married for fourteen years now.

Swimming perfection? Naah, but lifetime happiness I'll take over that, anytime.

Your turn

[Karen Duggan]

We have 15-20 now married couples on Walnut Creek Masters that met swimming!

My husband and I met doing laps at the pool Feb, 1993. It was a Saturday and I had just had my wisdom teeth out two days earlier. I guess he dug chipmunks! Anyway he said, "What set are you doing?" I said, "10 x 200s fly on 2:20."
He looked a little surprised and said, "Can I join you?" Of course I thought he'd go away with my response. I was certainly shocked at his response and a little amused, so I had to confess that I was really some 25s as I just had my wisdom teeth out!

We just chatted. I was dating a loser at the time... so I wasn't really interested (although he was 6"4, about 200 pounds and really handsome I noticed!) He told me he was in the police academy and already hired by WCPD. So with all of his training he could only get in on Saturdays. He asked if I wanted to meet him again in two weeks. I said sure. I was curious.

We met at the pool, swam, went for a walk, watched a volleyball game I wanted to see on TV at my parents, had a picnic with his Labrador Retriever (MacGuire) on the top of Mt. Diablo, went for a mtn. bike ride, got Chinese food, and rented a movie. He took me home about 3am (nothing happened!) Our first date was about 17 hours! From then on we were pretty inseparable. In fact I remember saying to him, "Don't you want to take me home?" He said, "Are you sick of me already?"
I laughed and said, "No. Just checking."

We were married August 12, 1995

There was an irony to our whole meeting: Being from CT he had come out in 1987 (I think!) to try and make his Trials cuts at Concord Pleasant Hill (under Mitch Ivey). Two years earlier I bagged that whole idea and swam occasionally with the lower group. Our paths must have crossed dozens of times!!! To his credit though Pat was 24 and I was 17 so that wouldn't have gone over very well anyway

[Scansy]

Originally posted by Karen Duggan
... I said, "10 x 200s fly on 2:20." ...

That would have scared me away!

[aquageek]

Originally posted by Karen Duggan
"10 x 200s fly on 2:20."

That's very impressive. I did 2 X 200 fly on 2:30 today and may never be the same again.

[geochuck]

I met my "Chuckie" in a little different way. I was walking home with a group of swimmers and as we passed Roberts Resturant (I was 19 at the time) one of the swimmers I knew was talking to a girl and we all joined in. I was introduced to Chuckie a very pretty 15 year old. I thought she was cute but I was 19 she was 15.

Four years later I was walking the beat (I was a Cop) and saw this girl again. We talked again, I had not seen her for 4 years.
She invited me to a sorority ball. I told her I can't dance, she said come to my house and my sister and I will teach you. The music we danced to was Moon Glow and that was it. Was it love at first sight or second sight?

George

[Scansy]

I did a 10 x 200 fly one time. It was on 24 hour intervals.

[Karen Duggan]

You guys! HELLOOOOOOO. I wasn't DOING that. I just SAID that because I wanted him to go away! Remember, chipmunk cheeks, wisdom teeth out, I was really doing the 25s (like I said).

Boy. Pay attention

[Scansy]

Originally posted by Karen Duggan
You guys! HELLOOOOOOO. I wasn't DOING that. I just SAID that because I wanted him to go away! Remember, chipmunk cheeks, wisdom teeth out, I was really doing the 25s (like I said).

Boy. Pay attention

Wow, I was far more impressed with your swimming before I found that out!

[Tom Ellison]

Wow, do you all think their honestly is hope that Ralph,
Mr. Moose and I might find someone through swimming?

All kidding aside....George, Karen...what neat stories.....thank you for sharing them....

[Karen Duggan]

Oh, Tom. How could I forget? When we first started dating we both found out we have the nickname "moose". We collect them!

[IndyGal]

Must be nice to have a swimming Significant Other. My husband gets panicked in anything deeper than a kiddie pool!

[scooter]

LOL! My wife won't go anywhere near a pool!

[Guvnah]

We didn't develop our relationship over swimming, but my wife and I (married 25 years this June) share a devotion to swimming.

We keep each other going on days one or the other might not feel up to it.

She is one of the few people willing to share my lane (and my wake and my aggressiveness.) So it must me love. (She's also the only person willing to share the same room with me after I've had barbecue and beans, so it is TRULY love! )

When her cap splits, I give her mine and do my workout without one that day. I carry her bag to the pool for her.

There's nothing like having a life partner who appreciates experiencing new pools whenever we travel somewhere. Or an open water swim (such as the bay at La Jolla, near San Diego.) We even committed to each other that we would swim together sans wetsuit at the beach at Monterey, CA when we went there, just to say we did it. (And we did, and we chilled to the bone, and we warmed up each other afterwards!)

Channel Number 5 bight be nice. Or Halston or some other perfume, but I pity the guy who doesn't enjoy the hint of chlorine as he falls asleep at night in his mermaid's arms.

[jim clemmons]

Originally from Tom Ellison:

Wow, do you all think their honestly is hope that Ralph, Mr. Moose and I might find someone through swimming?

Jeeze Tom. I thought swimming is where the three of you met.

Now you want a foursome? Keep doing the hypoxic training and I'm sure someone will come along.

Jim

[SwiminONandON]

Awh, Guvnah, that was so sweet! You should print that off and show your wife. And the smell of chlorine is awesome, wear it like a badge of honor!

[Tom Ellison]

Gosh, we are not sure that hypoxic training isn't the problem...
and we hope you did not mean the stuff where people like to have the air intake restricted....
Living with Ralph, Mr. Moose and all the rest of the gang is one thing....but....whew....we LOVE to breath.......

[Tom Ellison]

Gee, we admit it....we may be a tad different....but we are not that bent.....

[Jeff Commings]

I agree that having a swimming spouse is the ideal.

I had gone through many relationships where I tried to explain why I swim as much as I do, instead of trying a less smelly sport (chess, perhaps??).

Anyway, nine months ago I became involved with a swimmer (after two years of skirting any romantic involvement), and it's been great ever since. We can talk about our great workout sets, our poor sets and the meets we attend. To be able to use swimming shorthand with the one you love is the greatest asset of all!

Although, my fiance loves to swim alone, for thousands of yards at a time without stopping. I, on the other hand, need more than one other person around to motivate me and like shorter sets. We're different in that way, but when we talk to each other about swimming, it's nice to know that we both get it.

I know two people who work and swim together. I suppose that would be the perfect situation. Provided you can stand seeing your spouse 24/7.

[Karen Duggan]

There's good and bad to a swimming spouse.

It is MOSTLY good until the "taper grumpies" come out. At our 1st nationals in Tempe (1994) we were still dating, but sharing a room (ssh, don't tell my mom!) Pat didn't want to go anywhere, including dinner, he was very quiet, etc. He was so "focused" as he put it on his races. (Granted he did win most of them!) I got sick of it (grumpies) quite quickly. I'm pretty light-hearted for the most part at Nationals so I nicknamed his condition the "taper grumpies".

I'm not looking forward to Ft. Lauderdale in this regard. We are bringing #1 son and leaving 2 and 3 with grandma, maybe he'll be a little less grumpy with Peej around.

[ande]

hi jeff,
congrats on your new love
my wife tolerates my swimming
nice to see another texas ex here,
hook em

ande

Originally posted by Jeff Commings
I agree that having a swimming spouse is the ideal.

I had gone through many relationships where I tried to explain why I swim as much as I do, instead of trying a less smelly sport (chess, perhaps??).

Anyway, nine months ago I became involved with a swimmer (after two years of skirting any romantic involvement), and it's been great ever since. We can talk about our great workout sets, our poor sets and the meets we attend. To be able to use swimming shorthand with the one you love is the greatest asset of all!

Although, my fiance loves to swim alone, for thousands of yards at a time without stopping. I, on the other hand, need more than one other person around to motivate me and like shorter sets. We're different in that way, but when we talk to each other about swimming, it's nice to know that we both get it.

I know two people who work and swim together. I suppose that would be the perfect situation. Provided you can stand seeing your spouse 24/7.