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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
the time and effort it takes out of you. Swimmers are the best people. You must be a certain person to talk about swimming for hours a day. Swimming is a sport filled with hard workers and committers. It’s the perfect setting for bullet-proof friendships. Swimming is a sport that allows us to stand out while being a tight-knit team, much like schools strive to achieve. This type of environment has helped me to reach my full potential while helping others reach theirs. As a high school student, I learned to budget my time. When I am not swimming, I don’t know what to do with myself. I am use to being busy and use to managing my time. When I have a bunch of free time I tend to go crazy. I need activities to keep my busy. I need to have a set schedule and I need to be involved in other activities whether it’s swimming or work. With swimming I learned to nurture and nourish my body, to be a good teammate, leader, and to chase goals. It has kept me centered. I have never been more dedicated to any aspect of my life, and it has given me the confidence to carry out all that I want to achieve. It has forced me into a role of leadership on my team as well as in my school and community. Over the past few years, those practices are what have helped me mentally. I know that these experiences are what have most prepared me for college and look forward to conquering life’s obstacles.
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
The first practice was at 5 a.m. and the night before I couldn't sleep. My mind would keep wondering what would happen, was I supposed to be wearing my bathing suit, what were my teammates going to be like. When it came time to go to practice I was shaking the whole way. Soon after I learned that my fears should have not been focused on such silly things now. If anything swim really helped me face them head on. With so much change going with swim I got used to this fear. My family and friends were also a great succor. Even though they probably didn't know that it was helping me. I'm very grateful to my father supporting anything I wanted to
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...
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.
Throughout my four years in high school I have been fortunate enough to fulfill many of my aspirations and my thirst for knowledge. One goal that I would like to achieve is to become an international attorney. I have aligned my involvement in specific academic and extra-curricular activities to aid me preparing for the long road between my present situation and the day I pass the bar exam. Through my high school activities I have learned three virtues that I have deemed necessary to achieve my goal, passion, self-discipline, and perseverance.
Swimming is an activity that’s been around for a long time. Some of its first forms have been in ancient caves that have illustrations of people swimming. Some others include in the Greek epic poems “The Illiad” and “The Odyssey.” During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, swimming began to be a structured activity and later on in history became a popular sport. In 1896, it was a portion of the Olympics in Athens, Greece and it continues to be part of the summer Olympics. Currently, swimming is the second most popular exercise in the United States with millions of people partaking in it.
With winter closing in Thomas Jefferson can expect winter sports to be rushing in. With another new coach and a fresh year, many things are expected for this year’s swimming season; let’s dive in!
I walked towards the gym red nosed and puffy eyed. My tears had finally subsided, but they would return. I accepted that once I left Oakland Gymnastics that day, I would never return. I knew in my mind that this day would come, but I hadn’t expected it to be so soon. I wanted to move on and try new things, but the thought of leaving the place I spent the last 12 years of my life made my heart shatter. However, I finally made the decision that I was going to quit club gymnastics, but continue on as a high school gymnast.
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.
It was a foggy early morning. As I jogged around the high school track, I was thinking of how hard it would be playing on a high school soccer team. It was my first year in high school, and I had been confident of making the Varsity team.
Practice started and everything went downhill from there. With no surprise, I struggled with everything. From flips to turns, from backstrokes to freestyle, I couldn't even swim. I was that one kid who would always go last and would always finish last on the team. At this point, I began to question and doubt myself. It's no use to even join swim. I'll never get any better, so why even try?
Imagine diving into a refreshing, cool pool, rushing with adrenaline, and racing your heart out to beat the older girl or boy next to you. You come up off of the second wall with the best turn in your life. Next, You try your absolute hardest without taking a single breath. Then, you hit the wall like it is a punching bag, only to look up and see that you broke your record by three seconds! You hop out of the pool and are congratulated by our great friends and coach, knowing for a fact that you will never forget this experience. I have had this fantastic experience before, which is why swimming is my natural high.
Freshman year would start off with me being in the class and afraid to be out. My parents had alway said that if "you like just girls, we know something bad happened to you", luckily they changed their mind when I came out in March of 2013 as gay. This would not be the last time I would have to come out, but coming out the first time would start my leadership in the LGBTQIA+ community.
The pool quickly became my second home, and has been ever since. From the time when I was five, there hasn’t been many days that I was not in or within a close proximity of a chlorine-infused pool. I started my swimming career as a summer team swimmer at the Hasbrouck Heights Swim Club, after many torturous swim lessons at my local YMCA. After my first year on the summer team, my coach had spoken to my mom about wanting me join a local club swim team. At first, my mom was very hesitant, as she was a swimmer herself and knew exactly what she would be getting both of us into. Even knowing that she would need to wake up at the crack of dawn to drive me to practice, spend countless of hours a day in a pool, and watch me race for as little as twenty-one seconds, she signed me
My family is from Plainfield, New Jersey. During the summer we would frequent the public pools in our community. For as long as I could remember I have always loved the water. As a child, I would often jump in the water with no resistance or fear, and would have to be rescued by a family member. These near drowning experiences never place fear into my heart because I would immediately return to the water. In middle school, I decided to join the swim team. After all the years I spent jumping in the pool with no inhibitions, I had never learned how to swim. I spent a good portion of the swim season learning the basics: breathing under water, breathing techniques, kicking and proper stroking. By mid season my coaches were confident enough in my swimming abilities for me to swim in the 25 meter races. And by this time I recognized swimming lack it’s original zing, as an organized sport. By ninth grade I