Take your mark.......Go!

"Swimmers to the block", said the referee. I made my way onto the starting block with my adrenaline rushing and energy pumping through my body. I bent down in the diving position, awaiting the referee's command. "Take your mark......(and after what seems like eternity)BEEP!
  My legs push of the diving board and my arms move involuntarily forward, in a streamlined position. When my fingers touch the water, a jolt of energy rushes through me and I begin to move forward fast, my hands and legs moving in harmony. I break the surface of the water, and my whole body concentrates on moving ahead....fast. I turn just slightly now and then, to get an idea of where the other swimmers are. Finally, on the last lap, I put in all the energy I have left in me and focus on reaching the wall. All this in a couple of seconds, or minutes depending upon how many laps I have to swim. This is what makes swimming my favorite sport!

Swimming does not mean, jumping into the water and trying to get to the other side....No. It requires tremendous amount of discipline and hard work, not forgetting being passionate about it. I started learning swimming in India. It has always been something that I enjoy doing, even though I sometimes feel extremely exhausted during practice.

I swim five days a week in the mornings before I go to school. In the mornings, I have a half an hour of core workout on land, and an hour of workout in the pool. As soon as practice ends, I get ready and hurry to be on time for school. Apart from this, I have meets(swim competitions) to attend during the weekends. Doing this every morning, is not very easy, in fact, it requires a lot of determination.

My favorite stroke it butterfly! Most people say that it is the hardest stroke, but somehow, I find it fun and It gives me a flying sensation every time I rise above the water. It is the first stroke that I ever won a medal in when I was 7 years old! Somehow, my least favorite stroke is backstroke. I prefer to see the wall when I swim, thank you very much. I have no idea how people can even like it!

Swimming has always been one of the most important things in my life. I started learning when I was 4 years old and I continue to this day. My father is an excellent swimmer and he has never missed an opportunity to tell me how much there is to gain from doing it and how beneficial it is and will be. It is a sport that is not only competitive, but recreational too. It helps keep me fit, disciplined and, hard working. I love swimming and would never dream of stopping, for anything in the world!

The first time I won a gold medal in butterfly!

The time I represented my school at the South Indian regional swimming competition!