As I sit at the edge of my seat, goggles in hand, I nervously wait my turn. "100 m swimmers, you're up next," calls the lady with the scripts. The horn sounds loudly to signal the start of the race before me. The water is splashing, crowd cheering, sun shining, and then there was me. I was so nervous I could have melted waiting in that plastic chair because of the heat beating down on me. I wanted that blue ribbon so bad I would have inhaled water to get it.
"Time!"
"Got it!"
"Finished!"
"Good job!" shouted the timekeepers as the checked the times.
"You're up. Swimmers take your mark: get set..." says the announcer.
Silence roars through the ears of my memory. The horn sounded, then the crowd went wild, and we were off.
"Swim...stroke...pull...kick...faster...NOW BREATH!" my train of thought ran through my head. "Kick...pull...now flip!" again and again I drilled myself as I swam my heart out for the 1st prize ribbon in the finals. The other girls were not too far behind me, or so I was told. I dared not to look back for fear I'd slow myself I heard cheers and shouts as I slowly surfaced for a gasp of air.
"Just...a little...further..." as I stretched out my arm for the wall. "Got it!" I shouted in my head.
"Time!" I heard my timekeeper yell.
I pulled myself out of the water to dry. It was a close race between Maria Fitz and me, everyone was saying. We would have to wait till the end of the meet to know for sure.
"Announcing the 100m 15-16 girls race. In 3rd place Ashley Commerce, in 2nd place by a fraction of a second...Maria Fitz, and in 1st place Sophia Campisi!" finished the announcer.
I jumped up with my towel in one hand and my blue ribbon in the other! Hugs and congrats given to me by family, friends, team mates, and coaches. It was a great day but an even better