Personal Narrative: Joining Sunfish Swimming

An important basketball player once said, “Never say never because limits, like fears, often are an illusion.” Michael Jordan was saying that you can run from those illusions or you can challenge them. When I was in 6th grade, an important person told me that I should join Sunfish Swimming. I wasn’t really sure what to make of that and laughed it off. A week later, I was told that there would be a swim meet and that I should go and see if it would be something I was interested in. So I agreed, just to see what it would be like. We drove to Fargo and watched the swim meet. When I came back I was not sure if I would be able to handle it and be under that kind of pressure. But they talked me into it, and I said yes to swimming a few days
later. When I walked into the community center the next Monday, I was freaking out! What I didn’t know was that in the two weeks I would learn so many things and get to know many of my future teammates! The next week passed fairly fast. The second meet of Sunfish was coming up that Saturday. I signed up thinking I could try it. The drive to Fargo Davies was interesting. When we started driving my mind said, “I can do this”, but then as we got closer and closer to the pool butterflies started in my stomach and I got antsy and got close to panicking. I didn’t know how to handle everything! But, I made myself go in and get ready. Soon, some of my friends came into the locker room and saw me and they started to say, “Maddie, you made it and you are going to be great”! It was still scary! Then everything turned into a whirlwind; events were placed in permanent marker on my arm and everybody was in a rush to warm up in the water.
The meet started. As fast as I could say “swimming”, my event was up next. I stood behind the blocks, my stomach had butterflies and my legs were starting to get wobbly. I kept telling myself I could do this if other people could. The final whistle blew to get up on the blocks, which was my cue to get ready by the edge of the pool. I wasn’t very good on the blocks yet, so my coach told me to just jump off from the side. The official told us to take our mark, the ring sounded and I dove right into the water and started swimming. From that day forward it got easier and easier to dive off the blocks and swim. I still have moments where I think I can’t do something. But falling is one thing and getting back up is another. A very important person once said, “Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just illusions.” The next time you fall, get back up and try again. Confidence is my adversity that I face in swimming and in life. It will always be there, but I have to learn to conquer it one stroke at a time.