As I sat on the cold, metal bench waiting to be escorted to the starting blocks, I couldn’t help but think, this is the end of my swimming career. I had spent the last eleven years of my life dedicating my life to this sport and it was all ending. I remembered all the six am practices, the miles and miles traveled to swim meets, and the thousands of yards I had put into my training. I looked over at my cousin, who was also swimming at state in the 100 breaststroke as me, and flashed a nervous smile. She looked at me with big eyes and mouthed, “I’m so nervous.”
I sat there nervously picking at the label across my suit and listening to music at an unreasonably loud volume. Soon the official who was getting us all in order called for us to stand
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Every girl looked as nervous as me. Some were jumping, some were shaking out their arms and legs, and others were staring at the crowd searching for their family members and supporters. As we started to move, I looked up and found my family sitting in the stands. Unable to distinguish facial features I smiled and waved at the green blobs in the crowd that made up my supporters. As we walked, I felt each step pound in my brain, and with each pound my nerves shot up. I kept my face down as we walked by the noisy crowd and tried think about the race. However all I could pay attention to was my heartbeat pounding through my entire body. My chest began to rise and fall quickly and the palms of my hands become damp. When I arrived at my starting block I removed my warmups and looked at the pool. This would be the last time I was ever competing in the sport I dedicated my life to. No more hour and a half long car rides to practice, no more crying in my goggles as I pushed off the wall to finish a set, and no more swim meets. I would no longer be at practice everyday for two hours with some of my best friends talking about random things between sets. I thought of how I would probably only see them at graduation or if I went and watched them swim at some