The steamy, thick, chlorine filled air penetrated my young lungs. The crowd above was screeching like the rioters in Tiananmen Square. One of the largest races of my swimming career was right at my doorstep. I adjusted my goggles one last time before I started my approach to Lane 8. With each step towards the starting block, the butterflies in my stomach grew exponentially. I slowly mounted the starting block as my mind started to tune out the earsplitting crowd. My focus narrowed in on the lane ahead of me, as the butterflies quickly faded and the adrenaline began surging through my veins. “25 yard breast stroke, swimmers take your mark!” bellowed the announcer. BEEP! And the race was off. Ponderosa, the best of best, swimmers from all around
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My breaststroke could have easily been mistaken as a frog swimming the identical, flawless stroke in a pond. I beat my seed time by a tenth of a second. Just enough to put me right on the brink of making The Finals. I was seeded 8 out of 8, which meant I would be placed in Lane 8, the slow lane. The thought of being seeded last in the competition enticed me. The Finals crept up on me like a lion stalking its newly crowned dinner. BEEP! The Final race had quickly ignited and the ice in my veins lunged the “underdog” forward into his dive. Pull. Kick. Breath. Pull. Kick. Breath. The only thing on my mind was speed. Nothing in the world was as important to me as this moment. I had to push my limits. Slowly, but ever so quickly the wall approached me almost taunting me to get there the quickly. Finally, I took my last bit of effort and propelled all my strength toward the wall. The race was over. I looked over to the scoreboard and found Lane 8 reading 3rd place. The race that took place six years ago still has an impact on me to this very day. That race changed my mentality as a person. You can either go into that race knowing your placed last out and accept you will be last or you can give the race everything you have despite what the standings say. Are you going to accept defeat or are you going to look the challenge in the eyes and prove it
My breaststroke could have easily been mistaken as a frog swimming the identical, flawless stroke in a pond. I beat my seed time by a tenth of a second. Just enough to put me right on the brink of making The Finals. I was seeded 8 out of 8, which meant I would be placed in Lane 8, the slow lane. The thought of being seeded last in the competition enticed me. The Finals crept up on me like a lion stalking its newly crowned dinner. BEEP! The Final race had quickly ignited and the ice in my veins lunged the “underdog” forward into his dive. Pull. Kick. Breath. Pull. Kick. Breath. The only thing on my mind was speed. Nothing in the world was as important to me as this moment. I had to push my limits. Slowly, but ever so quickly the wall approached me almost taunting me to get there the quickly. Finally, I took my last bit of effort and propelled all my strength toward the wall. The race was over. I looked over to the scoreboard and found Lane 8 reading 3rd place. The race that took place six years ago still has an impact on me to this very day. That race changed my mentality as a person. You can either go into that race knowing your placed last out and accept you will be last or you can give the race everything you have despite what the standings say. Are you going to accept defeat or are you going to look the challenge in the eyes and prove it