Swimming has been an integral part of my life since I was nine years old. I have swum on four different teams and have had several different coaches. My high school swimming experience has been particularly significant to me and can be accurately described by a quote in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The quote, “It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone,” (Achebe) can be used to describe my high school swimming career. Freshman and Sophomore year I experienced personal progress, but team failure. This was a bitter time for me. My junior and senior year, I have not experienced personal success, and yet, I feel more fulfilled because my team has accomplished more. Mona Shores joined another co-op team my junior …show more content…
There were only about 25 girls who made up the entirety of the swim team. I got to know three other girls well, and we become close friends during swim season. Since I did not have many tight relationships with fellow swimmers, it made the season less enjoyable. Also, due to the massive size of our school, we were put in the OK White conference. For anyone who does not know, this is widely known as the most competitive swim conference. We swam against many fierce teams who had around 50 swimmers. This was frightening. As a team, we found little gratification and won only a couple of meets. Personally, I had an impressive season. I dropped a significant amount of time as the season went on and was able to improve immensely. My improvement was due to my hard work and dedication. However, my personal gains did not lead to successful feelings for me because I was part of a team that was largely unproductive. I learned quickly that team failure is much harder to deal with than personal failure. As Achebe noted, “It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone.” My freshman year I felt isolated and alone; as a team, we were not thriving, and it was upsetting. Even though I was experiencing personal progress, it was not easy to enjoy my triumph when everyone around me was not as fortuitous. Defeat is not easy to get over, but it is even harder when you do not have supportive …show more content…
Personally, I have not reached my swimming goals yet. Despite all of the hard work and dedication, I have not been swimming at my normal performance level. I have been fighting a leg injury and was recently diagnosed with dystonia. This has proven to be challenging but has been made easier with the help of others. Although personally I have been experiencing hard times in swimming, my team is still performing well. The personal defeat is much easier to deal with than the team defeat I experienced freshman and sophomore year. Surprisingly, I feel more fruitful now, despite the fact that I am facing more challenges on a personal level. I feel victorious, being part of a team with a winning attitude and a winning record. Although I might be experiencing some degree of disappointment, I do not feel as saddened. I have the team success to raise my spirits. If what Achebe says is true, “It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone, ” then surely the opposite is also true; it is less difficult to fail when surrounded by
I have been swimming year-round on a club team since the age of six and when I was younger improving came relatively easily. However, around age 13, I hit a training plateau despite having the same work ethic and focus that I had previously had. I grew to despise swimming and at points I wanted to quit. However, unlike Junior, I had role models and mentors who were positive influences on me and who helped me to overcome this challenge. Primarily, I had several of my best friends on the team who convinced me to keep persevering and to not simply quit the sport that I loved so much just because I was no longer dropping time. For example, every day I watch my close friends Lizanne and Cate come to practice and give it their all, regardless of the numerous injuries and medical issues that plagued their swimming career; their positive outlook and dedication motivated me to try even harder than I had before. Moreover, I had by parents, something that Junior did not have; my parents were always there to support me after yet another disappointing meet reminding me that “you get five minutes for a win and five minutes for a lost”. My parents where my voice of reason as I tried to work through my issues; they were always there to encourage me, but also were very honest with me
On top of that, I learned a valuable lesson from the failure and the loss as well. From that day forth, the past experiences transformed me to be a hard-working and responsible person. Furthermore, I acknowledged that when something bad happens, it can prepare us for the future obstacles, so let always be optimistic and never give up on trying.
The second year of the competition, I was only one of two returning students. I took an active role in recruiting new students, and our membership doubled. It was a complete role reversal for me because all of a sudden I was the experienced team member. We finished fifth out of forty teams at the regional competition, and at the national tournament, we placed in the top third.
Being on this team transformed me from a shy freshman to someone strong, both physically and on the inside. I learned that failure is how we learn to get back up after literally being pushed to the ground. That while making mistakes is inevitable, the challenge comes with learning from them.
Swimming is often referred to as an individual sport. In competition you are given a lane, a heat, and you compete for your time. Answer one question then, to prove its nature of individuality, at the seven hundred meter mark of the gruesome fifteen hundred, when the lactic acid has built up, and your body feels like failing, what pushes you beyond a point you have never reached before? The drowned out sounds of a team cheering, or seeing a friend charge through crowds flailing their arms through the air, is all I need to keep going and represent my team in a race to the finish. In addition to cheering during races, it is important to have the encouragement of your teammates all the time at practice, at school and, even in more personal matters. A team gives you a sense of belonging or a sense of discouragement that keeps you from your true potential. A community of a team extends much past the athletes, to the parents, as well. A team in which everyone is recognized for what they do/ can do compared to a special “elite” group of swimmers leads to a new level of pride and confidence for the younger athletes. Lastly, the philosophy of the coach is a critical component to the success of an athlete. One may believe in narrowing in on the naturally talented and the other coach strives to train each individual to maximum potential. I have been a part of two very different swim clubs in my development as an athlete, both of which helped me become my personal best, and who I am today in and out of the water. Although both the Ajax Aquatic Club and the Whitby Dolphins helped me develop my talents, abilities and, confidence, it is through the Whitby Dolphins that I recognize the need for strong interpersonal relationships with teammates, t...
As a competitive swimmer, I train 19 hours a week as a member of the University of Manitoba Bison’s Men’s Swim Team. However, growing up, I was never a great swimmer. I just didn’t have the classic swimmer body type—tall, long limbs with big hands and feet—but I loved the sport. Looking back, I can imagine how my parents felt. Their short, scrawny kid desperately wanted to be in a sport that he wasn’t meant for.
Whether dying old as an athlete or young, one has a greater affect than the other. As an athlete myself this topic relates to me quite well. Athletes in general, who do an outstanding job with their athletics, do things that are unexpected. Records are broken and championships were won. It has been twenty-one years since WHS has won a team state championship in swimming and diving. And in that twenty-one years we have finally done what is unimaginable and what was thought to be in 1993 the only championship that WHS would get. However, not only is swimming and diving a team sport it is also an individual sport. How we do in our individual events determines how we place as a team. This is also where people way before us, such as Guy Fulfer, has set state records and school records. Sadness begins in an athlete, but all begins in Housman’s “To an Athlete” and it does bring sadness to an athlete in three ways, disappointment, discouraged, and finally sadness.
Finish, Finish, Go, and Go you just set the new world record. Every four years lots of people gather around a pool cheering for Olympians. It is a very noisy place. A lot of Olympians that are part of the summer Olympics are very athletic, they swim all year around. The swimming Olympic history and background is very interesting. They have done so many new things over that past couple of years. They come out with new rules every year to make things more fair and challenging. There are a lot of events and tons of records that have been broke. A lot of Olympians have set future goals to stride for. I was swimming the 200 meter fly I was at a really good time when I had 50 meter sprint left at the end all I could think about was I’m going to set the new world record. Olympic swimming is a very fun sport it is very athletic. Every year in the summer time every one always sits around a TV watching this it is very famous in America. Swimmers from all around the world come and here and compete. There is a lot of competition there I have found out a lot about the history of swimming. There are a lot of events and tons of records that have been broke. A lot of Olympians have set future goals to stride for.
But I had more confidence as an upperclassman and felt more like I was part of the team and enjoyed the school spirit and my hockey team’s traditions. I was better prepared for the style of play and daily practices and when it was my time to finally be in the net I made the best of it and we finished the season with a strong push and looked forward to a great senior state
Success and failure seem to be pretty distinct opposites, but many times the differences between success and failure aren’t as obvious as we may think them to be. Sometimes a failure can be turned into a success if you are willing to look back at them, and are open to learning from them. Many times, one’s attitude toward a failure can determine whether or not anything is learned from it. Those who remain upbeat and positive after a failure may be able to get something out of it, but those who just don’t think about it and ignore it won’t get anything from it.
I view these as opportunities to guide others around me into becoming better at whatever they pursue. Whether they are struggling with their lacrosse skills, schoolwork, or anything else at all, I do anything in my power to assist them. This became a major part of my character that developed through this experience, which includes being able to work as a team. Looking forward to starting college, I know I will be able to use the skills I developed throughout this process to face hardships like schoolwork or interacting socially to make new
Imagine that it’s the closest swim meet of the season, and your team is losing by a mere two points. You know that your race could pull your team ahead, but you’re starting to doubt yourself. As the starting signal goes off, you dive in and hear your team explode into cheers. This gives you a boost of confidence and you pull ahead, slamming into the finish and out touching your opponents. With a smile on your face, you proudly turn to your teammates who are all screaming and jumping around. Joining a summer swim team ensures a summer filled with fun, and being with a community of supportive and happy people every day. Swim practice is also an amazing workout with serious health benefits, and can even help lower the risk of heart disease. Many people may be afraid of the commitment of practices and meets, but in reality, practices are not mandatory and are actually very fun, and meets are optional.
I had never really been a part of a team that had a chance to win something, but the potential was always there. I finally got my chance to be a part of such a team my sophomore year of track. Mr. Jones, the head track coach, had decided to experiment with some different races to gain more team points. Since the girls' team lacked a medley relay, he placed Cindy, Kim, Susan and I in those spots. Cindy would run the 400, Kim would run the 200, and Susan and I would start the race off by each running the 100. We all had worked viciously to earn those spots by running off against our teammates.
Swimming has been my whole life, since I jumped into the pool for the very first time. I loved every aspect of swimming from the adrenaline running through my body during my races and getting to spend even more time with my friends and my sister, and the stress of big meets coming up in the schedule. Except everything didn't go according to plan after the first day of school when I got home and I saw my parents sitting by my sister on the coach and my sister was crying.
Joining the team was one of the best decisions I ever made. They are my second family. I went from being a small girl that was unable to do one proper push-up to becoming the leading female paddler. I was appointed Captain of the women's boat in Nationals, despite being from a different school.