Beast Modeee
Winter of 2014 my parents were arguing over whether we should go to the last swim meet of the season. The roads were very icy and it didn’t help that we lived 45 minutes away from the meet. Normally my mom would have decided not to go the meet but this was my last chance to make a state cut. As I was going to ask my mom if she knew where my racing suit was, I heard my dad say “Karen, we’re going to risk our safety driving to a meet where she probably won’t make the cut anyway.” While he stormed out of the room, he saw me and I could immediately see the regret in his eyes. I stared at him with tears slowly beginning to fall from my eyes.
I ran to my room trying to fight the tears rolling down my face but I couldn’t help myself. My main supporter didn’t believe in me, so how could I believe in myself? After I had gotten all the tears out of my system I decided to turn my sadness into anger. I realized I didn’t matter what he believed. The only person who could dictate whether I got the cut was me. My focus was no longer on swimming fast, it was to prove my dad wrong.
When we arrived at the meet safe and sound, I warmed up and prepared for my races. I had a couple other events but my main focus was the 50 fly. I needed to drop three seconds to make the time standard which is nearly impossible. It was pretty obvious my chances of making the cut were low but I was not going to let my thoughts get in my way. At this point, nothing could hold me back, I was in beast mode.
The official blew three whistles and I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins as we were about to race. The official monotonously said “take your mark,” and then started the race. My heart was beating what seemed like one thousand times a minute as I rigorously moved my arms to take a stroke. I touched the wall as quickly as I could and looked at the scoreboard. I read 29.41 and couldn't believe my eyes. I missed the cut by 3 one-hundredths of a second. I looked at my mom and could see she was feeling the same pain as me. I graciously shook the hands of my opponents and walked over to my mom. I was sad at first but then I realized there was so much to be happy about. I had just gone a personal best by three seconds and I had all my friends standing on the side cheering for me.
It took me a couple of years to realize that I needed that extra push to achieve my goal. Yes, it hurt at the time but it was exactly what was needed. I believe before this meet I was the one holding me back. Specifically, my mindset was holding me back. I had never taken swimming as serious before this event. I honestly don't think I would be nearly as successful without the push that my dad accidentally gave me. That day I overcame my mindset and learned how intense I needed to be to produce the best results in and out of the pool. I stand by this when I say every time I race, I manage to dig down and find the anger, intensity and hunger I had back in 2014. Whenever I successfully reach this mindset, there is no doubt that I will have a successful performance.
I ran to my room trying to fight the tears rolling down my face but I couldn’t help myself. My main supporter didn’t believe in me, so how could I believe in myself? After I had gotten all the tears out of my system I decided to turn my sadness into anger. I realized I didn’t matter what he believed. The only person who could dictate whether I got the cut was me. My focus was no longer on swimming fast, it was to prove my dad wrong.
When we arrived at the meet safe and sound, I warmed up and prepared for my races. I had a couple other events but my main focus was the 50 fly. I needed to drop three seconds to make the time standard which is nearly impossible. It was pretty obvious my chances of making the cut were low but I was not going to let my thoughts get in my way. At this point, nothing could hold me back, I was in beast mode.
The official blew three whistles and I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins as we were about to race. The official monotonously said “take your mark,” and then started the race. My heart was beating what seemed like one thousand times a minute as I rigorously moved my arms to take a stroke. I touched the wall as quickly as I could and looked at the scoreboard. I read 29.41 and couldn't believe my eyes. I missed the cut by 3 one-hundredths of a second. I looked at my mom and could see she was feeling the same pain as me. I graciously shook the hands of my opponents and walked over to my mom. I was sad at first but then I realized there was so much to be happy about. I had just gone a personal best by three seconds and I had all my friends standing on the side cheering for me.
It took me a couple of years to realize that I needed that extra push to achieve my goal. Yes, it hurt at the time but it was exactly what was needed. I believe before this meet I was the one holding me back. Specifically, my mindset was holding me back. I had never taken swimming as serious before this event. I honestly don't think I would be nearly as successful without the push that my dad accidentally gave me. That day I overcame my mindset and learned how intense I needed to be to produce the best results in and out of the pool. I stand by this when I say every time I race, I manage to dig down and find the anger, intensity and hunger I had back in 2014. Whenever I successfully reach this mindset, there is no doubt that I will have a successful performance.
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