Everyone has his or her own little way of getting in the water. Some dive. Some run and jump. Some slide in like old ladies at the health spa (my personal favorite).
But regardless of the method, there is not a swimmer out there who will tell you that they enjoy going from a warm, heated deck into cold water - especially at 6 a.m. in the middle of January.
It's funny watching us huddled up behind our lanes, literally counting down the seconds until practice starts and we begin our orchestra of running, jumping and sliding.
Whether you've been out of the water for weeks or you're standing at the warm-down pool after your last race of the season, there is always going to be a little voice in the back of your head whispering, "Don't do it. It's cold in there."
But, like it or not, we do it. And although it's probably the least physically demanding aspect of our sport, the fact that we can leave the comforts of the pool deck behind and will ourselves into the water each and every practice says something. But it never gets any easier.