Swimming Upstream

For me, Islanders Aquatics has been more like a family than a team. We always have been a very close-knit group, and strong bonds were continuously formed throughout the years. The members of this team became some of my closest friends; not only did they help me become a better swimmer, but a better person. I’m extremely thankful that I was given the opportunity to be a part of this team. I would like to thank all my teammates for making these past few years some of the best of my life. We may our

“The Boy in the Blue Swim Cap” Kyle was a regular 16 year old boy. Like any other teenager, he went to school and played sports, and worked on the weekends. He ran cross country times that were faster than he had ever dreamed they would be, but swimming was fairly new to him. Everyday his mother would pick him up from cross country practice and drive him over to the pool. His mother started to get impatient with Kyle though. She didn’t understand why his times didn’t seem to be improving. But every

My coach has always told me “Swimming is not something to cry about,” and I was never one to cry about about a bad time or race. The day of my Doctors appointment was the first time I ended up in tears about swimming.I have been swimming competitively since the age of 4 and swimming has given many opportunities and has changed me but never would I have thought that it would land me here. I was reluctant to come I was reluctant to even tell my mom about the pain. But it was getting worse and

The U.S. Men’s National Water Polo Team are the best athletes in the sport. Although they may not have the most wins, being the best athletes can also be measured by the amount of effort put in by the players and programs. They are the best athletes because they persevere, have a great mentality, and they have numerous medals in many tournaments. First of all, we put in the most effort as a program. A great example of this is the Olympic Development Program, where people go through grueling training

-- I honestly expected sentences of encouragement, since he commented on my diligence, integrity, and improvement during swim meets. However, I received a paragraph about confronting my fears. My coach acknowledged my improvement throughout my swimming career, but he also stated that I didn't try hard enough, not because I was lazy, but because I feared of failing first to succeed.

immediately regret my decision to devour an entire plate of bacon in one-hundred degree weather. I take a few slow steps with my Jell-O legs and steady myself on the edge. I try not to look down, so I concentrate my attention on the sound of everyone swimming while little drops of water splash on my toes that remind me of how wonderful it will feel to not be covered in sweat. I use all the strength left in my body to produce an Olympic style bounce on the high dive, and the most embarrassing event

Next time you take your cousin with you to a competition you end up with sadness and then joy(if you work hard enough). It was a Saturday morning. Michael woke up from his bed at 6:00am, my cousin was staying over since the swimmeet was closer. Alex who was really enthusiastic about the swimmeet(his first one by the way) he was jumping all over the place, looking for his goggles. We ate breakfast, Ella, my mom cooked corn beef hash some eggs and pancakes. Robert, my dad who was also really excited

I break out from under water and start swimming the butterfly. At the 50 meter turn, my teammates were all lined up cheering me on. I could hear them screaming “GO”. Them cheering usually doesn't affect how I swim, but it’s always nice to have them supporting me. At the 100 meter mark going into

It was a cold October day. The closer I came to the fogged up windows, the faster my heart would beat making my breath quicken. I step into the locker room to prepare for the pool. As soon as I step out the humidity hit me. I’ve been scoping out the competition for a few hours now and they are good. I say to my friend” I sure hope that I don’t have to race against them” . Then my name gets called and what do you know I have to go against a state winner and 6 more excellent swimmers. Suddenly my number

Now off to the McBride household of fun activities. We’ve had tons and tons of fun at my house. First up is the pool parties we used to have at my house. It was mostly just Jake’s family and Madison’s and Michelle’s family that would come over and swim with us. We’d pull up our old trampoline and jump from there into the pool. During one of our pool parties, the twins and I in our swimsuits, decided we wanted to play with this wooden stake that was in the ground. Michelle then, hit me right in the