Swimmer of the Week:
Ana-Lisa Paolini
 Pictured: Sante, Sofia, Adriana, Lorenzo and Ana.
The smell of chlorine. The water gushing into the gutters. The stillness of the water before anyone has entered the pool. Most would not define the pool as peaceful and a place of serenity. Yet, to me, these are some of the very reasons that I love this sport.
I’ve been swimming for as long as I can remember. I swam in my first swim meet when I was 6 years old in Los Alamos, NM. From then on, I couldn’t kick the swimming high. I swam through college and competed in some of the most elite swim meets. Alas, life has a funny way of getting in the way. I hit the “real world” and it was time to work, I focused on my career and swimming fell to the wayside for years.
Bogged down with the stress of work and relocating to Michigan, I knew I needed to hit the pool again and swimming alone wasn’t an option. Let’s be honest, if you’re anything like me, you’ll do a 400 in some fashion, maybe a kick set and call it good. Beyond that, I needed human contact aside from my co-wokers.
I did a Google search and a few teams popped up in the area, but MAC stood out amongst them. A highly qualified coaching team and organized practices- what could be better?! It’s been 3 years now and this team has seen me through some of my life’s major milestones- marriage and pregnancy. Coaches and lane mates that push you through those grueling practices where you just want to pass out-you know the ones where we need subtitles to decode the workout.
Through this team, I have made some amazing friends that have pushed me more than they know. The accountability is what makes me want to spend an unfathomable amount of time in the pool just to achieve that unimaginable goal time and continue developing my technique. You all make me want to train my hardest to overcome my fastest enemy who may as well be my best friend in the lane next to me. Swimming is simply unbelievable, and I can’t wait to share my love for this sport with Lorenzo, who is 7 months now. Too soon to have him join MAC?!
MAC Swimmers are the greatest advertisements of all! We love how you share your stories on social media, with friends, etc. We would like to share your stories as well. Each week we will highlight a MAC Swimmer so we can learn more about the team. |
Swim Your Way to Bronze, Silver and Gold!