The Waters of Competition

Swimming has been a huge part of my life, well for atleast the past six years it has been. I can probably safely say that I have been in the water just as much as I have been at home during those years. A funny fact: I'm writing this post in my racing speedo! Hahah
Today was my last swim competition and will be for I don't know how long. It is sad to think of this, because a lot of who I am and what has happened to me up to now has been because of swimming. My closest friends are Spencer and Jonah, and guess how we met. Yeah, you guessed it swimming. I still remember the first time I met spencer; it was our freshmen year and we had an away meet up in Orem, Utah. Having been the freshmen, we were forced to double up on the bus and Spencer and I had to sit together. I didn't know Spencer at the time, Spencer just to Cedar from California, had been to only one practice and then came with us to the meet. I rememeber talking to Spencer on the bus and listening to some music, he showed me one of his favorite songs "Make You Smile" by +44. The next thing I remeber about that trip was Spencer asking for my pillow because he wanted to use it, so I gave it to him. But I soon learned that the pillow wasn't for his head but for his butt. Knowing Spencer now that totally makes sense but then I just thought he was just weird. After that Spencer and I were always talking and now are good buddies. I'd like to thank him for all he has done for me. He has always stood beside me and been a great friend to me. I look up to him and am so glad we became friends. My life would've been extremely boring with out him, Honest!!!!! He is the funniest guy I know and when him, Jonah and I are all together there is never a dull moment. I love Spencer & Jonah like a brothers and always will! They will always be spot for those two in my life. I do not know how I will survive without those two when I move to Hawaii for school. I know the story of meeting Spencer was so detailed but the story with Jonah isn't anything like that. We were friends through water polo and swim but never really talked. But something happened between sophomore and junior year, when junior year started we were so close. We were always together and always talked, we did everything together and even went to every dance together that year, including the girl choice dances. Our story isn't anything amazing but I'm so glad that we are such good friends now.
Beside friends, swimming has taught me lessons. Swimming is a team sport but also a individual sport. Teams win Meets by the points earned by each swimmer, but the outcome of each swimmer points isn't determinded on one's teammates swim but that individual swims. No one can change how I do in a race unless I let them, and my goal is to do my best to beat my own time and then beat others. I must worry how I swim, make sure how my technique or stroke is before worrying about others. Once I get into a good mode then I swim my heart out and try to maintain my good technique will focusing on beating others. So a lesson there would be, "You get to choose how well you do, not anyone else." Something to go along with that, is the definition of Potential: –adjective, capable of being or becoming. Potential doesn't make anything garuanteed, actually it is absolutely useless until you do something about it. There are many other things that I have learned thoughout swimming but there is way too many of them and don't want to make this so long that no one will read it.
I guess this is my farewell to competitve swimming. Thank You to all that have been envolved in swimming with me, family, competitors, friends, coaches, other teams' coaches, official and anyone else that I may have forgotton to mention. I'm so glad that I have met all of you. Thanks for the great experiance, swim will always be a part of me. Hopefully this absence of competeting won't be to long. I can't wait to meet with the "Waters of Competition" again and create more amazing mark points on in my life! Goodbye and I hope to see you again soo, "Waters of Competions"!!!!