If you ask a swimmer what they love about the sport, they’ll probably share a long list of things: Escaping from stress, challenging themselves or being part of a team, to name a few. But what about when you find that special someone who loves swimming as much as you do?
We asked our global community to share stories of finding love at the pool, and they didn’t disappoint!
From High School Competitors to Lifelong Training Buddies
When I was nine years old, I remember a new girl had moved to our city and joined our club team. I had no idea who she was but I immediately challenged her to a race in the 50 back. She crushed me.
After about 5 years of resenting her, I realized she was pretty cute and a great backstroker, which was also my favorite stroke. During our freshman year of high school, I mustered up the courage to ask her out.
She said yes, and after what must be a million yards of training together, countless swim meets, a wedding, our careers and two kids, we’re still just those nine year old kids who love to race each other in the pool every time we swim together. -Matt & Melissa Neely
Saying “I Do” at the Pool
My husband and I celebrated our love with our entire masters swim team by getting married at the pool! We even raced each other in our outfits after saying “I Do!” Here we are in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. -Flor Pizarro Pavcovich
Shooting Your Shot at a Water Polo Tournament
In 2017, I went to this amazing co-ed masters water polo tournament called the Quarry Scramble. It’s in a state park full of woods, where we play polo in the “lake” (a filled rock quarry), and 100+ of us camp out all weekend in the woods with BBQs and DJ dance parties. On the first night of the tournament, I noticed the cute guy whose campsite was right across from mine. He looked SO similar to 4x Olympian Tony Azevedo and for some reason I thought telling him that would be my funny ice breaker! He ended up brushing me off that night. 
But the next day, he watched me play water polo and we chatted a bit at the social event after our games. We instantly connected and bonded over our lifelong love of swimming, water polo, coaching, and the outdoors. 2 weeks later, I invited him to be my plus-one at an event, he flew to Michigan from Virginia – and we’ve been together ever since! 2 years of long distance, then he moved to Michigan and now we are a dedicated Quaranteam. 
Getting Engaged at the Pool
“My husband and I met while on the swim team in high school and started dating junior year and continued through college. We got married and now both coach swimming. We even had a meet against each other’s teams! We got engaged on the 10 meter platform at the IUPUI natatorium in Indianapolis.” -Lauren Cox
A Mid-Swim Realization
We didn’t fall in love at the pool, but my training partner of 3 years and I started dating! He said he realized it when I was swimming Monterey Bay and he was paddling next to me. 🙂 -Catherine Breed
Dropping Hints in Warm Up
My husband and I met on our college swim team. He started to figure out I was interested when I would race him… in warm up! 😂 -Laura Hazekamp
At Home in the Chlorine
We met in a dingy old pool in Sheffield in 1987 where he was the tall goalie on the men’s team that trained after us. We started dating in 1993 after he’d played in the European water polo championships. We married in 1997 – with timing so no National League matches were missed.
23 years of marriage later, we’re still playing masters water polo all over the world and loving our pool life. Our teammates keep us young and once in a while we teach them a thing or two – the Silver Fox with his still very evident talent, and me with my sneaky play. The smell of chlorine is home and happiness for us! -Fran Parsons
Friendly Competition
I met my wife in the distance group in college. She kicked my butt on a long set early on in her freshman year and I told her (jokingly) to go back to wherever she came from. She did not think it was funny and my efforts to make it up to her eventually turned into attempts to win her heart. Now we’re married and I’m still terrified any time she decides to come swim with me. -@slomoswimguy
The Best Swim Meet Ever
We were on the same team for quite a while and always raced against each other during practices and then at meets. One day he asked me out when I was at 11-14 state, and I was so happy I went a PB on my race and no one could contain my excitement! We have been together since then, 3 years and counting! 😄 -Kenzie Brennan
Did you fall in love at the swimming pool? Share your stories in the comments!
2 Comments
Don and I met, in our late 40’s, on our swim team in Atlanta. We have now been married for 18 years and still swim together, though no longer on a team due to the lack of one nearby.
My daughter and her husband met playing water polo, and still play, and now coach, together.
The first time that I met my girlfriend was at an open water swimming competition in Italy the last year. We spoke in the meanwhile we was waiting for the race start. From that time we started our love story and now we are inseparable. We are training together every day and we will participate to another important swimming competition named Capri Napoli together. We are both swimmers and we have both a great passion for this amazing sport.