“Do not give up; the beginning is always the hardest.”-Kemmy Nola The day had finally arrived. It was the day I started my new swim team, and I could not have been more anxious. I opened the door to the building and looked around. This was surely not what I had pictured for my first practice. I was overwhelmed with the scent of chlorine. People crowded all around the pool deck anxiously waiting to plunge into the icy water. Everyone wore colorful swimsuits, dark goggles, and caps with the familiar “Swim Atlanta” logo. There were new faces all around, and no one said a word to me. I just blended into the bunch. The coach walked up without speaking to any individual, and he yelled instructions to the entire group. “Everyone needs to be in the water in two minutes!” shouted Coach Chris. I pulled my black latex cap over my head along with fifty other swimmers. Within seconds, I felt invisible as the mob of people surrounded me to hop in the pool and begin swimming. The next couple of weeks were not much different, and I struggled to keep up with the challenging practices. I was becoming more familiar with my lane, and I was getting to know some new people. My coach was still a stranger to me, and just a man giving directions to me back then. I was intimidated by him, and I felt like he was watching my every move. Wanting to impress him, I …show more content…
Instead of standing in a crowd of strangers, I now practice with some of my closest friends and there is never a dull moment with them. My coach is now someone I can count on to not only crack a joke with me every single day, but he supports me as I grow in my swimming career. On the first day I started my swim team, I had no idea that I would come this far or how swimming would impact my life. When I look back, it was anything but easy at the beginning, but I am proud to say I stuck with something I