Questions

So... I had a meeting with my potential new coach yesterday evening... He presented me with one question that I need to answer for this afternoon at 3:40.

What does swimming mean to me?

You might think that I would have a ready answer. "It's everything!" "I love it!" or something like that. But... I don't even know. I often ask myself "Why do I swim?" because even I'm not entirely sure. Swimming is hard. It's probably the most difficult sport out there, and, no, I'm not exaggerating. Sorry hockey players, like Apollo and Zeus. Hockey just does not compare. Swimming is a dull sport, too. So why do I do it?

What does swimming mean to me?

My potential new coach also asked me if I kept a journal. I explained that, while I used to keep a journal, I now use a blog. He said I should start one for swimming. Write down any strong feelings I had during the workout, or anything that I found to be significant in any way. "I got mad at Jaclyn" "Really good backstroke set today" and things along those lines. On that note... Today the provincial head coach was at my workout. He gave me a lot of tips... Worked on my freestyle with me. He's probably the first coach to ever notice something wrong with my freestyle other than the fact I need to speed up my tempo in about... Three or four years? Yeah. Long time. But...

What does swimming mean to me?

None of this stuff can answer that simple question! Why do I go to the pool every day? Why do I break down like a little crybaby when the prospect of having it taken away from me is presented? Why, why, why?! I don't know! Maybe because I've been swimming since I was able to get in the water? The water just is my life! I've been competitive since I was seven, and I'm nearly fifteen now. So why do I swim? What does it mean to me?! I don't know! Maybe because it's the one thing I've always had in my life when everything else disappeared? It's like an outlet for all my emotions, just as my writing is. So maybe that's the answer?

Swimming to me means stability.

-Persephone