Este texto foi escrito a 4 mãos, cada mão tem uma perspetiva diferente acerca dos acontecimentos, mas um fio comum liga essas mãos e essas braçadas no oceano. A ordem é a cronológica, de quem começou e de quem foi-se juntando aos poucos.
Sofia
Chiara and I have been swimming together for more than five years. We used to swim in Caxias, and we even saw President Marcelo several times taking his dip—always wearing just swimming trunks, with all the security guards fully dressed on the beach. He would go in, take three strokes, and get out. When winter approached, I had to buy a wetsuit, but I found it strange not being able to feel the water. I bought one with short sleeves and legs that only came down to the knees, and it was perfectly adequate. Chiara, who is always cold, used to say that she could barely get into the water wearing a wetsuit, let alone without one. Once or twice a week, we would go swimming. Then I went travelling, Chiara joined Swim4fun and became really good, and when I came back two years later, I was no longer at her level. I also joined the club, wearing my short-sleeved wetsuit, which I don’t think is even designed for swimming. I improved a little there, but I also missed swimming outside lessons—staying in the water chatting, with no time limits. This spring, I challenged Chiara. But, to make it something different, I suggested that we swim without wetsuits on Tuesdays at our beach in Paço de Arcos—we walk there. The wetsuit I use now is an old one belonging to Chiara, already with a few holes, which I actually like. But whenever the water isn’t ridiculously cold, I prefer not to wear one. And wouldn’t you know it—the always-cold Chiara said, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” Frances, who is also from Paço de Arcos, started coming along, and suddenly we had a group of three swimming without wetsuits. Then Rita joined us, and Tuesdays became a happy moment in my week. We’re still swimming without wetsuits, and we’ll see if we can keep it up until the end of October, which I think was my limit last year. But if anyone would like to join us—even wearing a wetsuit—they’re very welcome, because the four musketeers always need reinforcements…
Chiara
It all started with a challenge from Sofia Guedes.
As many of the club’s swimmers know, Sofia is *that* Sofia: the one who swims without a wetsuit, who is never cold, and who, if it were up to her, would do every swimming event without neoprene—“after all, anyone who can handle half an hour can handle an hour in freezing water, and so on,” she says…
She was the one who, one day, challenged me—I use the word “challenged” somewhat reluctantly here, because it sounds too strong—to try swimming for a few minutes without a wetsuit. With no last-minute excuse to fall back on, and thinking that, yes, really, no one dies after a few minutes—not even someone from the Mediterranean—I started taking a few strokes out into the ocean.
Besides, Paço de Arcos Beach has always given me that comforting, familiar-beach feeling: with Bugi in sight and the beach right there, ready for me to escape at the first sign of a frozen finger.
The five minutes soon became ten; then ten became fifteen, fifteen became twenty, and twenty became thirty. I’ve even managed to get through entire Swim4Fun sessions… Stroke after stroke, the skin gradually develops a kind of protective layer, and that personal little layer of fat helped me endure the cold water too :-). And the feeling of being part of something bigger than myself grew stronger and stronger. Before long, these Tuesday mornings became a much-anticipated get-together—and one of my favourites.
The group grew too: from two of us to three, then from three to four, and occasionally even five, when Willian joined us as well.
The crossings added some variety to our route: from Paço de Arcos to Santo Amaro, walking back, and from Praia dos Pescadores to Caxias and back. That was how we came to know the sea more deeply—we were the ones who had to forge our own path, understand the currents and tides, study the sea, and get to know it.
Of course, there were situations we only laughed about afterwards—at the time, we had to keep our heads cool and reassure one another. But in the end, they were experiences that stayed with us and transformed these get-togethers into something much more than swimming.
I’ll now leave space for my other adventure companions to tell their own versions!
Frances
When a group of us were carpooling to Setúbal for one of the races, Sofia said why don't we swim more often locally in Paço de Arcos? And of course, being Sofia, her invitation includes swimming without a wetsuit. I love the idea, but haven't been able to join as often as I want!
A memorable time was when we did a crossing from Praia Velha to Caxias and back. We had our fins on in case of currents. Interestingly, I was almost able to keep up with Chiara who is normally quite a bit faster than me! That experience helped me figure out the problem with my rotation and timing (swimmer nerd speak! Haha) I love the adventure these impromptu swims bring, not to mention the friendship and the full immersion in the sea.
Rita
I was the last to take up the Zero Wetsuit challenge—or “naked swim,” as someone has already called it. Cold water is good for your health, I thought… and for cellulite! And, after all, I’ve always been one to go along with the crowd—in this case, a Musketeer who swims with the others!
The first time, it really was just swimming. The second time, because of a minor unforeseen complication—a slight current—we added climbing to the itinerary! I’ll never forget the look on the face of the man walking along the promenade when he saw a group of middle-aged women emerging from the sea and climbing over the rocks! Nor will I forget our delight as we walked barefoot, thinking that next time our flip-flops would go inside the tow float. The third time, I couldn’t make it because I was away for work, and I missed my fellow Musketeers! Now I have a Swim Meeting blocked out in my calendar every Tuesday, and whenever I can, I won’t miss it, because these girls’ energy is contagious! Thank you for challenging me!
And it really is true that cold water is good for your health! As for cellulite, we’re still waiting for scientific results, because the water hasn’t even been that cold! Let’s wait for winter!
A “gente vai continuar” a nadar às 3as feiras! com fato, sem fato, com escalada ou sem escalada! juntem-se a nós!
Nota das autoras: as entradas no mar já passaram para 5f para quem se quiser juntar, já sabem: praia de Paço de Arcos 8:15, quem estiver, nada connosco.
Sofia Guedes, Chiara Bedini, Frances Kung, Rita Solá