The fall of sophomore year I decided to join the high school swim team. I knew it would be a lot of hard work to stay on the team but was willing to put in the extra effort. Since I was new to competitive swimming I started off swimming in the “easiest” events. These included the 50 meter and the 100 meter freestyle. Eventually I became a substitute swimmer that would go in whatever event needed another Hobart representative. This led to me being in the 200 meter more than anything else. Most people on the team to not enjoy swimming any distance above 100 meters. Eventually I would be tasked with one of the most difficult events of them all, the 500 meter freestyle. The first time I swam the 500 free was in Kankakee Valley High School. I was informed that I would be in the event by another teammate on the bus ride there. I of course thought he was joking. There was no way the head coach would put me, a first year swimmer, in the longest event. I could barely swim 200 meters without running out of energy.
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I was going to swim the 500 whether I wanted to or not. The best/worst part about the 500 is that it takes place in the exact middle of a swim meet, right before diving where the swimmers can take a 15-20 minute break. It means that there is some time to warm up before the event. It also means that I had to sit through five events before my chance to swim leaving me to worry about whether or not I could survive swimming a third of a mile. Sooner than I wanted, the time came for me to prove myself. After a quick pep talk from my coach I stepped onto the block and waited for the start. The whistle was blown and I dove into the frigid water. I was not going for a fast time, all I wanted was to go the distance. At every 50 meters there was a person with a card that told me what number turn I was on out of
I was going to swim the 500 whether I wanted to or not. The best/worst part about the 500 is that it takes place in the exact middle of a swim meet, right before diving where the swimmers can take a 15-20 minute break. It means that there is some time to warm up before the event. It also means that I had to sit through five events before my chance to swim leaving me to worry about whether or not I could survive swimming a third of a mile. Sooner than I wanted, the time came for me to prove myself. After a quick pep talk from my coach I stepped onto the block and waited for the start. The whistle was blown and I dove into the frigid water. I was not going for a fast time, all I wanted was to go the distance. At every 50 meters there was a person with a card that told me what number turn I was on out of