Most events, buildings, clubs, and teams have unique traditions that bring the Swarthmore community together and create everlasting memories. For the swim team, one of our traditions occurs early in the school year and fosters incredible stories that we talk about for months afterward. When mid/late September hits, our season starts rather quickly (at this point, women’s and men’s soccer, women’s field hockey, women’s and men’s cross country, and women’s volleyball are already in season). We have a way for our team to get to know each other outside of the swimming setting. Every year, we play a game called “Assassin.” Some may recognize this as something that often happens during your senior year of high school. If you don’t know what it is, here is a quick summary: you are randomly assigned a target and you must get them out before the person targeting you gets you out. It is often played with water guns, however, my team uses wooden spoons, and our immunity rules are a little less traditional. The items alter slightly every year, but to get immunity, we often have to use some type of swim equipment. And for the past two years, it has been a snorkel. So, for at least a week, we will walk around with snorkels on our heads; for it to count, it has to be correctly worn. A picture of this was posted on the Swarthmore College Admissions Instagram because it was raining one day, so they captioned it as a “creative solution to heavy rain.”
At one point during my freshman year (fall of 2022), wearing a swim cap kept us safe. Many of us committed to the game and chose to walk around with swim caps on throughout the day to keep ourselves safe. Our teammates got very clever and wore the swim cap underneath a hat, so you couldn’t really see the cap anymore.
This tradition is a great way to bond our team and for everyone to know who is on our team. As soon as the swim equipment starts to be worn around campus, people know you are on the swim team, which is remarkable. I love that no matter what year you are, everyone participates. Our seniors often go all out, camping outside people’s rooms or chasing them down the entire McGill walkway to one of the safe zones. Upperclassmen typically have an advantage because they know of more secret pathways, rooms, and spaces on campus.
This tradition allows us to get to know other people. We often know each other’s schedules after spending a week or two staking out the classrooms. We receive a few looks, typically from the freshmen who don’t know what is happening for the first few days of the game, but then after that, people go about their day, acting as though we don’t have snorkels or goggles on our heads.
I’m incredibly thankful to be part of a team that embraces such enjoyable traditions. I’m particularly appreciative that Swarthmore values these traditions, as they help create a close-knit community.
