Schwimming

Swimming swimming swimming. I love swimming soooooooooo much. The majority of my best friends I have met through swimming. I love the practices, the travel trips, my friends, the water; everything! I figured I would dedicate a whole post to just swimming and all the happiness it brings me.
My favortie part of swimming is definitely the team travel trips. We mainly travel to California, but I have been to Texas, Florida, and Ohio for other swimming events. I first started traveling with the team when I moved into the National Group my freshman year. I went to juniors in Florida, sectionals in California, and proably a few other meets in California. My friends on those trips were mainly Addie Oswald and Alexis Grothe. Swimming was very different then. I was the tag-along freshman, that all the boys made fun of. All the boys were so mean to me, and I still haven't figured out why. Most of the time I enjoyed swimming, but there were those times where I would cry and swear I would never go back to practice.

Freshman year Sectionals; I was strange :)
Sophomore year was about the same. I went to Florida and California again, and I was still the slow poke. I got along with Alexis Grothe pretty well that year. She still made fun of me, but it was always joking. She always made me feel good about myself. I was also great friends with Taylor Brigman that year. We were best friends. We laughed so hard together. I enjoyed traveling with her. Lauren Moody joined the team that year! She was hilarious, and I have the best memories with her at La Mirada. "Do I have any chocolate in my teeth, Lauren?" Man, I miss her. La Mirada was also the meet that I met MEGAN PURDY! She was only in 7th grade, but we got along well. Since she was new with traveling with the team she stuck with me. She always asked me for advice about warming up for meets, but I'm not sure why because she has always been faster than me.

LA MIRADA!
Junior year was probably the best swimming year for me. All the mean boys were gone and I could finally go to practice and enjoy myself. I was now an upperclassman, and I didn't have to feel insignificant. Carlee Oswald; one of my best friends since I was about nine, moved to multi-gen to swim with Mike! I was very happy to have her swimming with me, and Megan Purdy moved up groups as well. By junior year I had finally decided that I actually wanted to be good at swimming. I started coming to practice everyday, and would never let myself skip practice. We also started a new dryland program which helped improve my strenght. The beginning of November is when I met Mikayda Mills! I was so happy to have a new swimmer on the team who was my age! No one else in the National Group was my age that year! We talked at practice often, and by Christmas break we were great friends. We often went to Cafe Rio, and later got frozen yogurt. We liked to Cafe Rio it up is what we called it. My junior year the BCH coach Mike decided to take us to Texas Grand Prix. That was one of the best meets ever! The meet wasn't very crowded, but there was still a good amount of fast people there. I swam with Katie Hoff and Elizabeth Beisel in my 500 freestyle that year.


Texas 2009
Senior year has come and gone, and has made awesome and not so awesome memories. State 2009 wasn't anything special, juniors in Ohio followed that and nothing great happened there either. I struggled with swimming at the beginning of my senior year. I got real sick in October. I wasn't myself for a while after that. Finally I had a decent meet at Texas Grand Prix in March. Not only did I swim well but it was one of the best meets eva! I roomed with Carlee, Mikayda, and Megan. What a perfect combination. So many inside jokes arose from that trip. We started calling eachother crazy chicks, we pushed our beds togehter the last day, and watched Mean Girls though the night.


Texas 2010
Those were the main meets that I attended through club swimming. Another part of swimming that has been significant is high school swimming. I never liked high school swimming to be completely honest. I hate swimming against some of my best friends who go to different schools, I hate the rivalries, and I hate all the pressure high school swimming puts on you. The only part I have ever liked about it is my team. I have loved meeting new people at Green Valley and having similar interests. I enjoyed high school swimming my junior and senior year the most. Junior year I was mainly friends with Carlee, Addie, Maddy, and Devin. I did talk to mostly everyone but I mainly stuck with these girls. Senior year I was able to make so many new friends now that I was captain. I had to include everyone and be a leader. I enjoyed being a captain. This past year I came to know ANDRE; who is now one of my best friends, Austin Lee, Suzie, Sarah, Raymond, Marina, Kati, Aubrey, and Smaranda. Although, I'm sure I met many more! High school swimming was an experience, but I can't say I will miss it all that much. What I will miss is my friends, and coaches, and of course the awesome banquets!


Green Valley swim banquet 2009
I know it's a tad bit long, but swimming has consumed my life. I have enjoyed my swimming career and I am excited to continue it with new people in a new place! Have a nice day!