“You have worked the entire season for this one race,” the letter read. My brother had given me the letter that morning right before he left for Missouri. I was reading it behind the blocks at the high school sectional meet before my 100 fly. It could’ve been the last race of my freshman season. I rubbed the letter between my fingers and tried to picture my brother in the same situation. I couldn’t believe he was missing watching me swim but the letter would do. I feared letting him down because he made state as a freshman and I knew he expected the same out of me. I was nervous to say the least, but I was also excited beyond belief. I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to qualify for state.
The whistle blew and the heat before me was called to the block. I closed my eyes and took it all in, I had just been on the massage table and I smelled like Christmas pine from the oil. I got a feeling before my race that I will never forget, it was like I was floating, ready to fly. I signaled the cross and had a quick conversation with God before opening my eyes and staring down the pool, in that moment the only thing that mattered was my lane and the clock. The swimmers  before me hit the wall and the screeching whistle called me onto the starting block. My eyes met with my coach and the corners of my mouth curled up. This was it.
“Take your marks,” I bent down into my track start and tightening all my muscles I waited for the beep. Finally, the beep blared and I lunged off the block like a plane taking flight. My hands hit the water first, then my head, my torso, and finally my feet, I felt more powerful than I ever had. This was what I was born for. When I swim it’s like a switch goes off in my head. I don’t think about anything, I don’t hear the crowd; I don’t feel the pain of my strokes, the only thing that I remember is hitting the wall. When I looked up at the clock, tears filled my eyes. I had to force myself to climb out of the pool. I forced air deeper into my lungs as I tried to pull myself together. Someone once told me that swimming wasn’t worth crying, over but in that moment it felt like the only thing in the world that mattered to me. I couldn’t help but feel like I had let my coach, myself, my team, and especially my brother down. That was it, the end of my freshman season. That .3 tenths of a second had ended my season. At the time it was the end of everything. After various hugs from different people I went into the locker room and changed out of my skin tight suit. I had accepted what had happened and still felt proud of myself for swimming as well as I had.
Once I was back on the pool deck my coach called me over.  I had no idea what to expect, it was always a surprise talking to Coach Keller. “Stephanie, I need you to swim the 400 freestyle relay. Grace isn’t rested and I’m not sure if she can swim fast enough to qualify the relay for state.”  In that moment I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I though that because I would be swimming with the relay at sectionals, that meant I would be swimming with the team at state. Then he started talking again, “Grace will be rested for state so you will help qualify the relay at sectionals but you won’t be swimming at state.” Then the smile fell from my face and I felt my head nod slightly. As disappointed as I was, I had to do it for the team.  I jumped into the warm up pool and got ready for my event. I was going to be the last leg on the relay and I couldn’t let my team down. We lined up behind the block and the first leg of the relay dived in. By the time the third leg dove in it was a tight race for first. I waited on the block for the third leg to touch. When she was almost to the wall I started my wind up and I dove in and while the water was cold it felt like heaven. I swam as hard as I could for I knew for sure that this was my last race. Sure enough, the cut was ours and our team would be swimming at state, without me. As disappointed as I was about losing my 100 fly, I had never felt prouder because my coach told me that without me they wouldn’t have made the state cut. He also told me that if colleges saw my split in that relay I would get many offers just for that time.
While swimming is an individual sport it proves that it is better to swim for the team rather than as an individual. Being part of a team is like no other feeling because people are depending on you. I also learned that day that you are never out of the race. Even though I didn’t make state in my 100 fly I still pulled it together and swam for my team.