2024 Season Recap - Happy Thanksgiving!
That’s a wrap! The 2024 Grown-Up Swimming Season is in the books. It’s fitting that the recap comes out today because there’s a lot to be grateful for in this little movement of rec swim leagues around the country.
How’s that for a sappy, corporate, Thanksgiving introduction? Totally on brand? I mean seriously, what says, “Fun, irreverent, lighthearted beer league primarily run in the summer” more than a “Happy Thanksgiving” email? At least it’s not a shameless plug for new merch that’s hitting our SwimOutlet store for the holidays. That would be just tacky.
Speaking of tacky, does anyone know a sandwich shop that wants to sponsor every email from Grown-Up that starts with, “That’s a wrap”? “That’s a wrap! Brought to you by a large, national sub chain, the official wrap of Grown-Up Swimming.” No? We’ll work on it.
Anyway, back to the sappy gratitude. In 2024…
10 cities launched new Leagues,
17 World Champions were crowned,
Twice as many Grown-Ups swam,
We ran 84 Meets including two All-Star meets in historic locations. Have you ever swum a 25 fly at the Ft. Lauderdale Hall of Fame Pool? Well you could have a couple of weeks ago!
And finally, our recruiting efforts have set up for just as fun of a Season in 2025.
We should be thankful for our League Directors in each League. Y’all don’t know how much they do behind the scenes. We don’t have leagues without all that they make happen. I’m also incredibly grateful that our new Overlords at U.S. Masters swimming are supporting this movement. And, they’ve proven that they can ditch the white polos and loosen up a little bit over there too! (That was a joke. Please don’t fire us, Overlords. We knew before this year that y’all could have fun).
Grown-Up Swimming is Summer League for Adults. It’s beer league softball. It’s flag football. It’s the Turkey Trot Fun Run.
Grown-Up is fun. Our goal at Grown-Up is to make adult rec swimming as fun and as accessible as possible; to launch a league in as many cities as possible. To allow folks access to fun, summer league swim meets as adults. We were given a directive by a couple of team captains in Atlanta as we grow: don’t ruin it.
The 2024 Season came with a few growing pains, but we continue to strive not to let scale ruin it so that everyone can experience what was originally established as a little division of the Atlanta Swim Association all those years ago. Except for the beer relays. Those didn’t made the cut. Because…ya know…lawyers.
As you settle in for some late-night football or get warmed up for a brutal game of ping pong, I want you to know that big ol’ sappy me is grateful.
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!
Brian
Head Grown-Up