Day 8: Dedication, Motivation, Excellence

Day 8. A moment you felt most satisfied in your life {your happiest moment}

I can at least say for me the tension was high, my stomach knotting up, and feelings of inadequacy became common as my swim career clock was ticking. My chance of making it to states was in the hands of three others in a relay, who themselves would have plenty more opportunities to make it. I was worried because they themselves could not possibly put themselves in my shoes, and we had already dropped a large amount of time in only about two weeks.

The odds were stacked against us and even I felt a pang of regret as I began to agree with the naysayers. This was not who I am, I was not someone who would give up so easily. I had to give my last ditch effort, to leave it all in the pool. Leading off the relay, I pushed myself to the limit I could greatest conceive. My arms could not have moved faster, and there was no way I could have kicked harder. It all seemed to be going well, but it still did not seem like enough as the next two teammates did their part.

It all came down to our anchor, who was in fact the fastest swimmer on our team, and it all rested on his shoulders. But after his flip turn he seemed to be moving way to slow. It movements just so relaxed despite the pressure of the race. Time was ticking and all I could do was just stand and stare as it felt that it was all slipping away. He touched the wall, the clocked stop, and as I tried to hold onto what was left of my swimming career, I compared the time to mental notes of what was needed.

Nothing else mattered at that moment. It was five years of hard work, constantly pushing my body to new limits all the time. It was possibly one of the scariest moments I had ever experienced, this uncertainty was not a feeling I could honestly say I liked. Yet in its own moment, it was serene, the time was final, and once sure, we knew we had qualified for states. We had accomplished what was unexpected.