Have you ever been scared or afraid about trying or doing something new; I have. Swimming has always been a fun, exciting and enjoyable activity and hobby I enjoy doing a lot. On a sunny and warm Saturday afternoon. My mom and I went to an indoor pool in California called the Hayward Plunge. I was having so much fun until my mom asked me to take the 11ft deep swimming test. I was so afraid of the test that I went pale.
After paying at the cash register and changing into our bathing suits, I carefully walked up the red flight of slippery stairs to get to the swimming pool. After dropping off my backpack and taking off my slippers, I slowly walked into the freezing and cool water. As I dropped into the depth of the water, my body had goosebumps all over my arms. I was shocked at the temperature of the water on such a hot day. I started swimming laps after laps. I was having so much fun until the head lifeguard yelled, "SWIM TEST!" I didn't think much about the swim test because I have never thought about taking it. I swam up to my mom and then she told me to go try to take the swim test. I didn't want to go take the swim test that was eleven feet deep; I could drown.
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As I swam to the side of the swimming pool, I thought about the test more and more. What was there to lose I thought. As long as I'm safe I might as well do it. After a long five minutes of careful thought, I finally decided that today was going to be the day that I conquer the fear I had of the swim
This pool is my soul, and the slight, gentle waves are the beating of my heart. I stand on the deck looking down at the clear, calm water, and raise my hands above my head. I dive into the water, smooth and straight like an arrow. I enter the water without a splash, and glide underwater, feeling the cool water on my skin, and the scent of chlorine in the air. I feel powerful, immortal, and completely at peace.
I struggled to keep my head above water as fierce waves battered against my fragile body. My lungs screamed in anguish as harsh cold water filtered into them, steadily consuming the space that had moments ago been occupied by oxygen. As I felt my strength waning, I wondered if fighting was even worth it. After all, it would be just as easy to let the waves overtake me and be gone forever. Oftentimes, uncertainty can strike people when it is least expected.
...as I began to walk in the water every imperfection on my body burned as the salt cleansed my skin. Knee high in the Dead Sea and my body even then began to feel weightless- the water carried me. 3 feet deep and no matter how much I tried to touch the bottom, I couldn’t. No one was splashing because if the salt got in your eyes it would be an unbearable burning feeling. For the first time all senior year I felt like I wasn’t in control. I let the water carry me. There wasn’t fear, I didn’t worry about getting carried out to far, nothing lived in the water so no matter how far I went, nothing could pull me under. For the first time all year I wasn’t worried about graduation, finals, or even college. It took me dipping my toes into something big and scary to finally feel relaxed and at peace with myself.
They put me in swimming lessons, and I kept wanting to go back, over and over. Eventually, they put me in competitive swimming, on the Manitoba Marlins, when I was around 12, a fairly late age to enter competitive swimming. Many of the kids that I was swimming with had been on the team since they were 6 or 7. I showed up ready to have some fun, and was absolutely crushed by everyone. I went home devastated and crying, never wanting to swim again. I can vividly remember my parents sitting down and telling me that I could quit now, or I could work every day to follow my passion.
I am much older now. I am 14, can reach the bottom of the pool, and can swim well. The only time I get scared is when I'm in the ocean and the waves get big for me and they start coming too fast and hit me under the water. Other than that I feel comfortable swimming by myself now. Drowning is not on my bucket list of things to
The sport of swimming began changing my life at age four. I won every time I touched the water, but I was unaware of my true talent.
“BEEP!” the buzzer goes off. We were off like cheetahs after prey into the water. All the thoughts that are coming to my mind as a swim through the crystal blue water are, what will happen to me if I don’t take enough breaths and pass out? What will happen if I miss the wall and end up getting disqualified? What if I choke on water and get last, what if I get last? As were swimming everytime that I took a breath, I can hear the crowd cheering as loud as lions.
Everything was on schedule and I was ready. The previous years of my life training for this moment would not be spent in vain. My event was called and as I entered the pool deck all I could hear were people cheering and shouting. As the heat before me dove in everything else faded, the shouts and screams of the fans became a faint sound in my ears as I quickly stretched and prepared to step up to the block. As the last person finished I quickly looked into the stands and caught a glimpse of my parents faces.
Excitement and nerves flooded my mind. I checked the snorkel mask and tube one last time. Then dove into the shimmering ocean. When I first went under, I closed my eyes and practiced breathing through the snorkel underwater. I opened my eyes and what I saw took my breath away.
So I whispered to myself right then and there “I got this. I’ve swum this race hundreds of times. I’ve practiced for this everyday for the past 6 months, there’s no reason to be stressed. I am going to swim and I am going to race. But above all, I am going to have fun.”
Swimming has done for me… Swimming from day one was the hardest sport I have ever done. Never before in my life had I been able to move 50 yards and be in pain. The very act of swimming a lap was exhausting. My parents began their divorce at the same time swim season started, and so it was a nice release.
The water in the pool was as cold as the Arctic Ocean. I thought to myself I am not ready for this tryout I am too fat for this. I first started swimming butterfly stroke which made my arms tired as if they were logs floating on water. After that I started doing the backstroke and started feeling my legs starting to give out. I then thought to myself I just finished my 50 yards and 50 more to go.
It was finally time to swim. I finally came up with a plan and decided to swim in the deep side of the pool even though I didn’t know how to swim. I knew it would work but I was also scared. As I walked to the swimming pool, everyone laughed at me again for wearing a speedo. I dived into the deep side of the pool and noticed everyone was staring at me in amazement. Then I swam up and hung onto the side of the pool. Everyone was shocked and puzzled. Even the girl I liked looked surprised.
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.