I have been around water for as long as I can remember, having been a baby in Hawaii. By three years old, I was swimming the pool length, all smiles under the water. Yet it wasn’t until my big brothers started swim team that I was introduced to competitive swimming. It took a while for me to give swim team a try, but by ten, I was swimming year-round and on a summer league team. 

I was not naturally gifted at swimming, but I worked hard and followed directions. Even though I was tiny and awkward at first, it didn’t take very long for me to see major progress. Week after week, month after month, I just kept swimming. As I swam more and more, my technique improved, and I was dropping time! Competitive swimming opened a whole new world for me, with new friends, goals, and places to travel with my parents. 

It wasn’t long before I was swimming every stroke at every length. I swam in 50-meter Olympic-sized pools and 25-meter pools. I swam the mile, the 400 IM, and the 200 Butterfly. I dared myself to try harder and harder events. Swimming showed me I could do hard things and much more than I had ever thought. Swimming taught me to be disciplined and stick with my goals, especially those that would take some time. Swimming taught me patience. Even when I didn’t reach my immediate goals, I just kept swimming. Eventually, my hard work paid off, and I qualified for state meets and finals. 

One time, I had the meet of my life and dropped time in all my 12 weekend events. That was the day before my car accident. And that car accident changed the trajectory of my swim career. I never swam again as easily and as pain-free as I had before. It took years of physical therapy to get most of my form back. But even through all that, I just kept swimming. I swam through the car accident and through hip dysplasia, and then through Covid. 

Swimming taught me to persevere and find a path through adversity. In addition, swimming has given me some of my best memories. I have had the opportunity to be on many teams. From many summer league seasons with the Edinburgh Marlins to two middle school and two high school teams, I have swum in countless meets and made priceless memories. There is nothing like making swim memories and winning medals with your best friends! 

I have had the joy of celebrating other people in their times of triumph or hugging a teammate who is having a hard day. As cliché as it sounds, swimming has taught me that people will remember your attitude more than they will remember your times. As I hang up my cap and goggles one last time, I’m grateful for all swimming has given me. As I begin my next chapter, I will always remember that no matter what happens, good things are ahead if you just keep swimming!