For those not in the know, Team SWAP is a running group founded by David and Megan Roche. SWAP stands for, Some Work, All Play.
I have been a part of the team for just over a year now. The membership of the team is comprised of a huge variety of people. Elite athletes like Clare Gallagher, Cat Bradley, Coree Woltering, and David and Megan themselves, are part of the team. So are people like myself and my wife M, and Pamela whom I’ve never met but I follow on Strava because she is encouraging.
Hopefully Pamela won’t mind, but I would like to use her as an example. As I said, I have never and likely will not ever meet Pamela, but she exemplifies the main characteristics of SWAP and why being part of the team means so much to me. The characteristics of the SWAP team are encouragement, accountability, knowledge, wisdom, adventuresome, curiosity, sacrificing for others, helpful beyond the call of duty, and LOVE.
Growing up I was a part of many teams, some successful and some not. No team I was a part of however, exuded all the fine characteristics that members of Team SWAP exhibit. Like many others on Team SWAP, I will never win a race. I am fortunate to finish in the top half of the field, maybe. Those things do not matter on Team SWAP. No matter where I finish in a race, the other team members will give the same praise as if I had won the biggest race in the world.
Even though I am not an elite, Team SWAP members make me feel like an elite. The team makes me feel a part of something right in the world that is bigger than just myself.
I wish there were more teams and team members in the world like Team SWAP.
GO TEAM SWAP!