Swimmers take your mark.......Go, and he's off swimming the 100 freestyle sprint, now the last flip turn, it's all out from here on. But how did he get here? It all started last summer when Josh introduced me to the sport, from there on every week would bring on practice in preparation for our sophomore year. It would take time, dedication, and above all a great friendship. But with no question it would be tough leaving my team on the football field to join friends in the pool. The only problem is, "am I really ready for this?", only time would tell.
Summer break of 2015 had been greatly anticipated. With vacations booked, camp outs planned, movie watching with friends organized, and trek on its way this summer was going to be an unforgettable one. Here we are June 10, 2015 ,my first practice in preparation for the next school year, 50 freestyle warm up, working on streamline, introduction to flip turns, and freestyle technique. Fifteen minutes in and I am dead, exertion setting in, and I am wanting to quiet. Then in my head I hear "Will it be easy?" nope, "is it worth it?", absolutely, after that a thought about quitting had not returned. Every other day from there on practice getting tougher and tougher. With
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We're introduced to "dryland" and combination of stretches and exercises to do before entering the pool each day. Next we're in the water I am placed in the "intermediate lane" with a simple set with a total of 500 yards of swimming.Tryouts progress until Friday with each day learning something new and incorporating it into our set. Working on my arms to get a better pull and my legs for faster and more powerful kicks now shedding two, three, even four seconds off my best time. With tryouts over for the week I now await to find out if I made it. Come Monday night and I learn I have made the junior varsity team, excitement rushes through me. I made the team, this is where all of my hard work pays
Imagine a book about a couple of good friends hanging out over the summer but with a twist to it, doesn't sound like that bad of a book. But the book Swim the Fly, has still been banned many different times, for many different reasons, but it teaches good lessons to teens, it also talks about different topics teens can relate to. Swim The Fly should be read by teens in school because it teaches the reader to take chances, the value and importance of friendship, and to never give up.
My whole life, I always gyrated around sports, this athletic attribute carried all through high school. I spent my whole high school career running on the Track team. There I met my track coach Luis. I met him when I was a freshman, at that occasion I saw him as my coach and nothing more. Later on, I asked if I could work out with him after practice in the school’s weight room. My intention was to become faster and stronger. I wanted to achieve my goal of becoming the great athlete that I’ve been dreaming about ever since I was eight years old. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I wanted to transform myself into a better version of myself. I wanted the Erik of today to be better than the Erik of yesterday. From then on, it was all history. He took me under his wing as a student, but as his
You are a 200-year-old endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle twisting yourself into a foreign knot. Thrashing for freedom, panic sets in as your realise you are helpless in your bending cage. The ocean turns from turquoise green to Prussian blue as the sun slowly pierces the shadows of your watery grave. Bubbles rush from your mouth like stolen phantoms as you begin to contemplate your own mortality. Slowly suffocating, hope begins to fade. Deeper and deeper you sink into unconsciousness. Euphoria sets in as your panic begins to ease, in your mind you remember freedom, just a memory but not so long ago, is this death? Is this a good death? You take one last breath, and let go of
"buckle up." Barnett co-authored a study estimating a 50% chance that a combination of climate change and increased demand could render Mead effectively dry by 2021” (qtd. Barnett).
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...
iving up my week and weekend nights for swim practice was something I was used to by the time I started high school. Swimming, was my calling, and with that came many sacrifices. Practices were everyday, Monday through Friday and sometimes on Saturdays, and consisted of countless sets of sprinting, kicking and pulling. The only thing that kept us stable during practice was counting down the time on the clock, “Just thirty more minutes, and I can relax for another twenty hours.” From there I would go home in time to shower and finish homework. Finishing what I needed to do before midnight was considered luck. The cycle repeated itself as I would get up the next day and do it again. However, there are many other aspects to this sport besides
Then, three years ago, I broke through those walls. My conscious urged me against it, ran through all the “what ifs” of the situation, as usual, but this time I couldn’t help it. How can one ever truly test his abilities if one is too afraid to even take any initial risk? So, one cloudy, brisk Saturday morning, and joined the football team. Immediately after the first practice, the option of quitting crept its way into my mind. But how could I ever reach my goals if I couldn’t take on a high school sport? There will be thousands of students in college competing with me, professors looking to make scholars, not dropouts. If I couldn’t face this, I couldn’t face them. So, I endured practice after practice, game after game. Every day, I had to rebuild the courage I had to walk out on the field that first day to step out on the field. I was weaker, smaller, and less apt at the game than man of the guys on that team, but I the constant threat of fear couldn’t hold me back anymore.
"Swimming Drills." Mountain View Masters Swim & Social Club. Mountain View Masters, 2014. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. .
You walk into the room and feel a warm gust of air greet you at the door. The smell of cleaner fills your nose as your shoes squeak along the freshly mopped mats. The clock strikes 3:30 and the coach blows his whistle that seems to penetrate your ears with a piercing screech. Your body aches and your mind tells you to leave and quit. On the other hand, your heart tells you to go on. Through all the pain, your heart always seems to whisper to you, “This will make you great. This extra day of pain will make the difference.” Even though practice makes your bones ache, your joints grind, your skin bleed, and your body swell; there is a greater hardship to come.
Have you ever had those moments where you are feeling unmotivated or zero energy to workout? I will be the first to tell you I have had these moments. Being involved in the fitness world, I love every aspect of fitness. For the past 5 years, I was working out 5 days a week and had my ups and downs with results. I am guilty of it, I would pick up a workout magazine and try out this crazy workout and just destroy my body. Sure, I saw some results but I was becoming more and more tired throughout the day. On top of that, I was only getting 5 hours of sleep and not eating appropriately to refuel my body. I know stupid right? I am human and I am not perfect!
through out your busy day. There is still no excuse why you can 't have 10
Summer has come to an end and school back in full swing. One is ready to crush the challenges facing a 5th grader. The last bell for recess sounds. Young boys race outside to enjoy the sun’s warmth. Name calling and horse-playing around immediately begins as they plan their weekend fun. Challenging each other to execute silly acts or daring one another to flirt with the girls across the playground. One yells out if you don’t jump from the top you are a sissy. Then one hears ask Julie out first. Recess is almost over when another one yells out he won’t…he’s a gay sissy. Silence has now blanketed the playground and one could hear a pin drop. Saved by the bell it was time to line up and head back to class. The final bell of the day
As everyone was cleaning gooey, drippy egg off various limbs and body parts, Bill decided to start the next game by himself. The game was supposed to be a water balloon toss fashioned after the egg toss. Bill had another idea. He thought his wife, Lonnie, needed some cooling off. Unfortunately for Bill, just as he heaved the water balloon towards Lonnie, she moved. Bill's balloon hit Mike in the center of his stomach with a big splash. One thing led to another and a water balloon fight ensued. Everyone got into the act, from Reverend Kay's elderly mother to Carol's one-year-old daughter, Cassidy. The roars of laughter coming from the Church group were truly contagious. The pure enjoyment experienced by all during that water balloon fight prompted
Many people take for granted the opportunities they receive through the hard work of others, but this attitude needs to stop because it has become the “norm” for students to expect their teachers and professors to provide them with an education. While it is true that in the United States, students are required to attend school until the age of eighteen, many children around the world lack this luxury. This “right” is commonly looked down upon by students, because they do not have the motivation to succeed, as they did not have to work to get into school and to pay for their schooling. Everyone takes something for granted, whether it is an education, a roof over one’s head, food on the table, or the commencement speaker at one’s high school graduation, everyone forgets to be thankful. As Admiral McRaven stated, “But of all the things I remember, I don’t have a clue who the commencement speaker was that evening, and I certainly don’t
At the age of 16 I began looking into competitive swimming techniques, teaching myself each stroke and repeating them; wanting to be better than just a doggy paddle and a deep breath underwater. My junior year of high school, I