I'm sure each of us has one race (or maybe more) that has some special :groovy: :applaud: :wave: :banana: :laugh2:
meaning to us and it could be for any one of many reasons. (I'm not talking about embarrassing moments; this has been addressed elsewhere.)
I'm talking about swims/races, some moments of which live with incredible clarity and details in our memories and minds (in colour -or B&W, with sounds and possibly smells -chlorine, of course.)
I won't tell about mine (I have three about which I'm very proud) for a while. Not until regulars have told their stories and some would-be-posters (a.k.a. lurkers) have also shared.
Parents
Former Member
My best, most memorable swim was in college. At our big championship meet (New Englands division 3B or something like that) my freshman year, I was still pretty weak with mono that had shown up with it's companion strep throat 2 months before. Somehow I made it into the finals for the 400 IM, but was really exhausted and stressing about doing a good time in the final. My coach pulled me aside and gave me the best advice anyone ever had. He basically said, look you are in the top 8, and the worst that can happen is you get 8th. No one that is in the 9-16 places can place ahead, even if they swim faster than you do. He told me to swim "pretty", make sure I didn't get disqualified, and he wasn't worried about my time. It took all the stress off my shoulders, and although I don't remember my time, it was a PB and I placed better than 8th.
My best, most memorable swim was in college. At our big championship meet (New Englands division 3B or something like that) my freshman year, I was still pretty weak with mono that had shown up with it's companion strep throat 2 months before. Somehow I made it into the finals for the 400 IM, but was really exhausted and stressing about doing a good time in the final. My coach pulled me aside and gave me the best advice anyone ever had. He basically said, look you are in the top 8, and the worst that can happen is you get 8th. No one that is in the 9-16 places can place ahead, even if they swim faster than you do. He told me to swim "pretty", make sure I didn't get disqualified, and he wasn't worried about my time. It took all the stress off my shoulders, and although I don't remember my time, it was a PB and I placed better than 8th.
