By the time I could walk, I could swim. When I was two, my mom, being my mom decided to take me in the pool with her. This was just days after learning to walk; I was a late bloomer. Because my mother hadn’t taken the time to go and put my swim suit on, I felt the cool sparkly blue water seep into my clothes. Suddenly, I heard the phone ring. My mom took me out of the pool and placed me on one of the pool’s lounge chairs, I was told not to move. As she approached the pool yet again, to her surprise, I was in the pool swimming! I have been swimming every day since. I began in my backyard, but a few years later, my mom signed me up for a swim team. I practiced hard every day. One Friday night after spending a tough day in the pool, my mom broke the news to me, “Honey I signed you up for your first swim meet!” I stared off into the distance absorbing the information, and then I decided, I can do this. I can win.
When I walked onto the chlorine-infested pool deck with my bag on my back, I grasped both my mother and auntie’s hands when butterflies started to flutter in my stomach. I went to the table to officially check myself into the swim meet. “What did you say your name was?” said a blonde, blue-eyed lady with gigantic white teeth. “Um Erin Tate,” I responded. “Okay sweetie just initial here and circle your event number and you’re good to go,” The lady responded. I looked down at the paper March 3, 2001 was stated at the top right hand corner. I picked up the blue pen and slowly, but cautiously, did what I was told.
“Will you all please rise for the national anthem,” blared through the intercom. “And the meet has started,” The announcer continued as the first race was in the pool. “Okay Erin they’re on event one and you are event nine, so in the meantime, keep hydrated and eat something while you make sure to check your heat and lane number. The paper told me when I raced, and advised me to do a little warm up beforehand. “Good luck sweetie, I’ll be rooting for you, you have been working so hard. Break a leg!” My swim coach Corine told me, “and the pressure is on.” Sitting on my auntie’s lap, I mentally prepared for the race. “It is only a 25 free. One lap,” My mom and my auntie told me. “You will do fine, you are a little speed demon.”
“Corine, I’m heat 1 lane 2!” I told my coach. I was holding my goggle, had my cap on my head and my auntie was holding my towel as we made our way to the end of the pool. “Baby, are you nervous?” My auntie asked me with a smile on her face. “Yes,” I said with a frown. “Oh come here baby, I will hold you until your race is up.” So I sat there in her arms as she sang to me trying to calm my nerves. I lifted my head just in time to see my mom and Corine traveling in my direction. “It is time to shine,” My mother said as she took me off my auntie’s shoulder.
As I looked at my surroundings, I put my goggles on. I noticed that I was the only four-year-old brave enough to jump off the block. Everyone else was cowardly leaning over the edge of the pool. “Swimmers take you mark! BEEEEEP!” was the last thing I heard the announcer say before I took off down the pool. Pulling and kicking, I felt the ice-cold water biting my skin. My lungs burning from the lack of air, I turn my head to the side to take a deep breath and continue. My legs turned into propellers, kicking me forward. Finally, I touched the wall; I looked around to see my coach jumping up and down with joy and my mom and auntie smiling at me. I looked to either side of my to find nobody else at the wall, I had finished first. I had won. This experience taught me that I can do anything if I have anticipation and determination. To this day I adore the feeling of success, in the pool, at school, anywhere. This experience is what showed me what I love to do, swim. Swimming is the one place I can go to escape from the rest of the world.
