Rosslyn Swim Meet

The Coaches

I prepare to dive off of the blocks

On Saturday, September 14th 2013, I took part in the Rosslyn swim meet. It was a slightly smaller meet for schools to compete in, and I enjoyed it a lot.

My events were: 50 m back, 50 m breast, 50 m free, and a relay at the end.

I arrived at Rosslyn with my friends (Kai and Sabrina) at around 8:00 in the morning (we took the bus with the rest of the team from ISK), and we were one of the first people there! There was steam rising off of the pool and it was very cold - needless to say, I was terrified. I hadn't competed since middle school, and some bad experiences (along with my shyness) had made me feel very negative towards meets. However, the coach was very reassuring and my teammates were also encouraging.

Waiting for marshalling

ISK girls! (I am on the far right)

Some Teammates!

The events started, but it was a little while before I actually had to compete. When my turn came I was handed a small paper slip with the event, my name, school and rank on it. I had to give this to the timers in the lane I was placed in. I lined up for marshalling with Sabrina, and was placed in one of the highest heats (I found this strange, as I did not have times yet and I was competing with the faster girls). However, after pulling on my cap and goggles and hearing the familiar "on your marks, get set, beeeeeeeeep" I was in the water and swimming as hard as I could. I was relieved that my events consisted only of 50 m sprints, as it is over really quickly and you have almost no time to think. 

There were huge time gaps between my races, but I had a lot of fun hanging out with the team in these periods. I found that as the day went by I grew less and less nervous, the butterflies in my stomach fading away. I was really proud of myself, if only for this accomplishment! Furthermore, I did well in my races considering the fact that I haven't competed for years, and that I'm now in the 16 and OVER age section! I came 5th and 7th place for two of my races, and got ISK a few points.

Racing!

I am so happy that I decided to compete this year, I feel much more confident and integrated into the team now. There was also a really positive and carefree attitude about this meet, and no one was really judging one another on the results. The ISK football teams were playing on the field just outside, and there was a canteen area that we could go to. Kai and I got snow cones during the lunch break!

To conclude, I had a great time at the meet yesterday and was proud of my attitude and results. I look forward to improving my times in the future!