“Swimmers take your mark,” were the words that I heard at the beginning of every swim meet. As a competitive swimmer, I would reach down, take my mark and then dive effortlessly into the freezing cold water. The sounds of the crowd cheering, or the water crashing on the side of the pool were both intriguing and encouraging to me.  Ever since I was a young girl, I have been infatuated with playing in the water. During the summer, I spent all my extra time in the pool attempting to master the skills of swimming. When I reached the age of 6, my mother decided to enroll me on a swim team in our neighborhood, they were called, the Timber Ridge Twisters. Neighborhood swim teams are often referred to as, “summer league teams.” A summer league team consists of a few practices during the week and an occasional swim meet on the weekends.

 For the most part, swimming at first, was just an extracurricular activity. I perceived the sport as a great way to pass the time. It was also an additive bonus that I got to spend additional time with my friends. After learning the concepts of swimming and all that it entails, I started to truly enjoy the sport. It wasn’t until a couple years of swimming on the summer league team; that I decided to take my swimming competition to the next level.

At the age of 9, my mother enrolled me on a year round swim team called, “Swim Atlanta.” Little did I know, year round swimming is a whole different level of competition compared to swimming on a summer league team. The practices are much more intense and the swim meets are more frequent.  We practiced two times a day, before and after school. We also spent a majority of our time traveling all around the United States to attend prestige swim meets.

The sport of swimming takes a lot of determination, discipline, and sacrifice. There were times when I wanted to quit and give up but I continued to participate in the sport until swimming became my entire lifestyle. I was unlike most children, I didn’t have to find ways to occupy my time; I spent all my time in the water. All the times I spent practicing in the pool, consulting with the coach, and traveling with my team mates, was a very intense and educational experience. I also never imagined that my teammates would eventually be considered part of my family.

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t reminisce on the memories and bonds that were formed when I swam with Swim Atlanta. Unfortunately over time, I have grown distant to the ones that were such a huge part of my life. I regret the lost relationships, but I am very fortunate that I had the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships, discipline, and the definition of sacrifice. Swimming played a significant role in the woman that I have become today. Swimming has taught me so much, and for that I will always respect the sport and the people who chose to play it.