Personal Narrative-Jealousy In Competitive Swimming

I had never really considered myself a "good" swimmer. When I would tell my friends that I swim competitively, they would say, "Wait, so you're going to the Olympics right? You're going to be the next Michael Phelps!"

Well, not exactly.

I started competitive swimming when I was twelve years old, while most societally deemed "good" swimmers started swimming before they were even in school, giving them close to a decade's advantage over me in practicing the sport.

Nevertheless, I generally remained unfazed regarding my rank in regards to my teammates; I focused on my own improvements, pushed myself at practices, and tried not to let myself express jealousy of anyone else. However, after a period of tough practices and competitions during my

sophomore year of high school, I started to let myself envy others, wishing that I were as fast as my teammates and that I had started swimming earlier in my life.

One of my friends completely understood how I felt, as she had gone through a rough patch earlier in the year and had had others outshine her as well. She compassionately told me, "I honestly think that you benefit more from the sport if you're not that great, but you learn to reap the rewards that come from dedication and commitment, rather than if you start off as a really talented swimmer in the first place and don't learn to work as hard."

I live by the words given to me by my friend every day, at practice and during competitions. Numerous athletes learn the benefits of dedication and hard work through their sport, but few learn those lessons when others overshadow them or when they're not the absolute "best" or "fastest."

My coach recently told me, "Sometimes I have parents who wonder why people like you are so dedicated. You don't have any state or national qualifications like some of your teammates, yet you give 100% effort into every single practice. You are a true role model."

I am forever grateful that I chose a sport that taught me a lesson from the real world, the lesson that it's okay if you're not the best at everything. As long as I don't let other people's success bring me down and focus on improving myself, my hard work will reveal itself through my own accomplishments.