How to calm first event nerves

Signed up for your first swimming event and feeling nervous? We share some top tips for overcoming those pre-event jitters.

Q: My first swimming event is coming up. I’m terrified! What should I do?

Firstly, congratulations! It can take courage to sign up for an event, especially if it’s your first one in any sport ever. You’re going to have to draw on that courage again to get through the event but it will be worth it.

It’s normal to feel anxious as your event date approaches. As those worries mount, it may get to the point where you feel as if you’ve made a mistake. It can get so bad you think you shouldn’t have entered. You may consider pulling out.

Here are some of the things I’ve heard:

• I feel so stupid entering this event. I was too ambitious.
• Events aren’t for people like me. I’m going to look like an idiot for even thinking I could do it.
• I’m not fit or fast enough.
• I’m going to come last and everyone will laugh at me – that’s if I even finish!
• I’ll just be in the way.

Pre-event nerves are normal: I get them myself (and that’s despite having done hundreds of events) and I’ve helped other swimmers manage theirs. I’ve therefore developed a few techniques that help.

Make a plan

A practical first step – and this is useful for experienced swimmers as well as novices – is to make a plan. I recommend doing this the old fashioned way with pen and paper as the physicality of it can be calming.

Write down what you are going to do and when: what you will eat the night before, when you will pack, what time will you get up, what you will have for breakfast, when you will set off and so on.

As part of this planning, read all the information provided by the organiser to ensure you know where you need to be and when, and if there is any compulsory kit you need. Also, make a list of everything you will take with you.

Share your worries

Next, if you can, share your worries with someone who’s done similar events before, who you can trust to take your concerns seriously and who will provide support and encouragement. Even better if that person can come along to the event with you.

But if you don’t have such a person, don’t let that stop you. There’s a good chance you will meet someone equally as nervous as you at the event and you can encourage each other.

Turn up

Allow yourself permission to not do the event but commit to turning up, with your kit. If you truly feel you can’t do the event this time, you could either watch or volunteer to marshal or help the event organiser in some way. Volunteers are always gratefully received and you will have the opportunity to see how the event unfolds and boost your confidence for next time.

However, it’s more likely that once you’re there with your kit, you will find it less daunting than you imagined, and you will feel up to tackling it.

Assuming you’ve entered an event that is aimed at beginners rather than something more extreme, you will probably find between a quarter and a half of swimmers are novices. The organisers, along with the volunteers and marshals, will do their best to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable experience. The perseverance and tenacity of the person who finishes last is recognised as much as the speed of the first one over the line. If you want to do an event, then events are for people like you.

I have one friend who needed a huge amount of reassurance before their first event and nearly cancelled several times. But they did the event and loved it. The next day I received a message that said: “I wish I could go back and do it all again.”

There is a good chance you will feel the same. Be brave, enjoy the experience, good luck and let us know how you get on.

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