Speedos, Sully, and Swimming

On Saturday I competed in my second ever swim race, the Mashpee Super Swim. The first swim was one year ago, same race, same distance - one mile. The whole party atmosphere, and clear, warm water thing invited me back.

This time my goal was to control my worries about something catastrophic happening in the water (i.e., drowning) and just enjoy the opportunity to swim in open water. If writing this does not prove to you that I achieved my rather low-hanging goals, I'll continue.

My “technical” training consists of one morning a week swimming laps at the local YMCA, which appalled a fellow competitor who told me she swims 5-6 times a week with a masters team. Like, she has a coach not named YouTube. Demonstrating truly exceptional social skills, she said she admired me for signing up (read: you are literally and figuratively in over your head).

I would venture to guess that my Y is elderly compared to the newfangled YMCAs I've visited in years past. And with age, it brings some delicate challenges that I have mostly embraced. One of those includes wearing old goggles that fog up about 500 yards or so into my swim. I can still follow the line but I can't quite tell what I'm stirring up at the bottom of the pool.

My husband has suggested a rather catchy t-shirt slogan, "Y Go Anywhere Else?"

Those foggy Speedo goggles from Costco recorded their first fail Saturday as I found it impossible to spot the enormous fluorescent buoys that mark the course. I couldn't even see fellow swimmers as they splashed past me.

It's not to say that even if I didn't have to stop to flip my newly-despised goggles to spot my next buoy, I would have been anywhere near the front pack. Katie Ledecky, was that you I saw in the porta potty line?

Upon reflection, this race demonstrates not so much my effort or ability but my approach, which was to play it safe. Whether it's at work or working out, playing it safe is almost always an option. And when we're fearful of failure, it's often the choice we make. But rarely are we satisfied with the results. There's not much gratification in doing something that you already know you can do. Repetition can be at once comforting and at the same time soul-crushing.

Like me, you may have changed careers once, twice, or many times. And it's hard to start anew. Flexibility, salary, and autonomy can vary wildly from one job to the next. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's well, different.

Either way, like my swim race, playing it safe is rarely a decision that brings satisfaction. I’m planning to compete in another open water race this summer. Maybe it’s time to set new goals.

In My Research

"Reflexive writing is risky, but with big rewards Writing with an autoethnographic perspective is a skill that requires the author to review personal diaries and memos maintained during the research process, and then apply theories that will engage a wide variety of readers. Vickers (2002) called autoethnography ‘writing on the edge – and without a safety net’ (608). The power of autoethnography is researchers can address changes in positionality and beliefs in their writing, without restriction. There is a freedom to admit that preconceived theories were wrong or were based on biased opinions built on personal experiences. In support, Bochner (2000) states that researcher’s values cannot be separated from their methods and procedures. A necessary flexibility in autoethnography exists, allowing for revision throughout the research process (Adams & Jones, 2011)." - Ralls, K. "The value of using feminist autoethnography in sport and gender equity research in developing nations."

Take Her Word for It | Voices of Title IX

"Trust is not to be confused with psychological safety, which is when a team member perceives other teammates will give them the benefit of the doubt. Psychological safety requires understanding the team climate, allowing for more risk-taking (Fransen, McEwan, and Sarkar, 2020). A leader may set the path to ensure psychological safety, but they cannot do it alone. All team members must cultivate it, or it does not exist. Identity leadership may be linked to greater psychological safety where teammates have developed clear and comfortable

lines of communication. When a team chooses to create psychological safety, all members can provide honest feedback, raise challenging questions, and pursue new endeavors." Ralls, K. Take Her Word for It (2022)

Women's Sports History

Watching the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials is really gearing me up for the Paris Olympics this summer.

The 1912 Olympics was the first to showcase swimming. The U.S. women were barred from competing by James E. Sullivan, who was head of the Amateur Athletic Union and the American Olympic Committee. Sullivan would not permit women to compete in any event where they did NOT wear a long skirt. Sullivan passed away soon after and U.S. swimmer Charlotte Epstein successfully petitioned for the right to compete in the 1920 Olympics (no deal in 1916 with World War I and all).

According to Lisa Bier, author of "Fighting the Current: The Rise of American Women's Swimming 1870-1926," the U.S. women performed extraordinarily well. Ethelda Bleibtrey captured gold in all three events (100m, 300m, 4x100m relay). The U.S. women actually swept the 100m and 300m events.

Bleibtrey, who only started swimming two years prior as a way to heal from polio, is still the only person to win all the gold medals in women's Olympic swimming. Even more fun, she was arrested for removing her stockings to swim, which was considered nude swimming in 1917. The charges were eventually dropped and so was the requirement to wear stockings while swimming.

Hey Sully, hold my skirt!

At KR LLC, we believe women athletes are perfectly positioned to be standout leaders.

And if you want to relive a little bit of your glory years, we’re here for that as well!