Cara Dominici ’27

While studying abroad in Madrid, I was awarded an Intercultural Enrichment Stipend that made it possible to compete at a national swimming championship in Valencia, Spain. I met extraordinary friends, and was able to learn so much more about myself and the sport of swimming when put into different cultural contexts.

Spanish National Championship Competition

While studying abroad, I trained with a local swim team in Madrid named Club Natación Chiboi. I had a unique and unforgettable experience when I qualified to compete at a national championship in Castellón, Valencia, called El Trofeo Internacional Castalia Castellón. Here, hundreds of swimmers from across the country came together to compete for their club teams.

Separation Between Sports Life and School Life

Throughout my swimming  career in the US, my identity at university l has also been tied to my identity as an athlete. In Spain, however, this is not necessarily the case. There are no major sports clubs through the university in most European cities and, instead, the most serious athletes train with a local club team, where people of all ages can compete.  This separation between sports and other parts of life was something I greatly admired, as it allowed me to manage my friendships, school life, and hobbies in a more balanced manner.

Different Training Philosophies

Attending this swim meet and training with Chiboi, in general, gave me a unique window into the different training approaches implemented by teams (which was in many ways reflective of other parts of Spanish culture). Throughout the meet, I noticed that although coaches had various philosophies, there was far more emphasis placed on the well-being and happiness of swimmers than in the US.

Surprisingly, my coach did not give me as much advice on how to execute a race or how to mentally prepare, but, instead, he gave me advice on how to be a good teammate and how to make the most of my experience in Spain. Of course, like any coach, he wanted me to swim fast – but he also wanted me to be happy. My coach also did not over-enter me in events, solely for the purpose of scoring points; rather, he prioritized my rest, even when I could have scored more points for the team.

Familiar Traditions of the Sport

Despite these differences, there were many beautiful similarities in the sport of swimming between Spain and the US. For instance, the meet was split into prelims and finals, where the final session was considered more serious (finals is a part of the competition in which a swimmer must place in the top 16 during the morning session in order to compete again at night). 

The race strategies of my teammates here in Spain were also similar to the race strategies of my teammates from the US, and pre-race rituals also were largely the same (examples include: carbo-loading the night before a swim meet, listening to music, stretching, journaling, etc.). 

Community Emphasis

The clearest differences that I experienced related to the communal nature and community of swim team life. Throughout the competition, the team stayed in apartment-style villas, where 4-6 people shared one space. This brought teammates very close together and was different from what I am used to in the US, where the team typically stays in separate hotel rooms during swim meets. 

Additionally, in between sessions of the meet, meals were never eaten alone. In the US, I am accustomed to eating meals alone, on-the-go, or in silence during high-stakes swim meets when my teammates and I are under stress –but this was never the case on team Chiboi. In this way, recovery took on a whole new form – instead of simply stretching, swimming, and eating, recovery included long stays at the lunch table, lots of laughing with teammates, and napping underneath the sun in between sessions.

During meets, my experience was that competitors not only wanted to compete with me, but also wanted to get to know me on a more personal level. In fact, many swimmers from different teams took interest in learning  where I was from and what my training was like in the US. Competing in this way made the sport feel less lonely, less intimidating, and more like a community effort.

What I’m Bringing Back from this Experience

Returning back to SwatSwim, I hope to maintain this more human-based approach towards the sport.Through this incredibly unique experience, I was able to learn so much more about both myself and the sport of swimming when put into different cultural contexts. 

Swimming has been a central part of my friendships, health, education, and overall life for as long as I can remember, and I am grateful to have experienced a national competition outside of the US, where I had the opportunity to  share my passion with those from different backgrounds.