Personal+Narrative+DV

Cheering. Don't you like people calling out your name to support you? I like it, but I can't hear anything right now. My palms are sweaty, and I'm gripping the diving block tightly. This is only a practice run-through for the relays. Both my friends have already gone and are cheering for me. I'm just waiting for my turn. As long as I beat the best team next to us, we will win. He's coming in close to the wall and I'm ready. Three yards, two yards, one foot. It's my turn.

It's been exactly two hours since the relay practice and it's time to begin the real race. My friends and I are getting our swim caps and goggles on before the announcement calls all the swimmers in the relay race. To be honest, I really hate the speakers. I can never really understand what the announcement is anyway. The loud announcement comes on soon enough and all the competitors go out. We gather around the head judge to see who will occupy the different number blocks. My team gets Block 6 and I see our main competition two blocks down. They're looking around at the others to try to see if anyone is a big threat to them, but then they smile at each other. I guess they don't see anyone who could beat them.

As the first relay swimmer gets ready to take off from the block, I hear the crowd lower their voices so the Butterfly swimmers can hear the sound of the gun. Bang! The swimmers dive into the water and starts off the relay with butterfly strokes. I think about the order of the relay strokes while the swimmers are coming back. Butterfly is first. Then backstroke. Breaststroke. Freestyle. Lauren comes and hits the wall just as Chris jumps off the wall into backstroke. The crowd is cheering for him as he passes our biggest competition. Ellie plants herself onto the block and waits for him to come back. As soon as he hits the wall she takes off straight into breaststroke. My turn is next. I can see Ellie pushing herself in breaststroke. It is a pretty hard stroke to swim. I step onto the block and get ready into a diving position. All I have to do is swim from the beginning of the pool, to the end, and back. I see Ellie coming in fast. People are cheering my name, but I'm ready now. I grip the block hard and tune out everything. There she is. She hits the wall while I hit the water.

Cool, fresh water calms me down. I can't hear anything except for my own thoughts. I come out of my diving position and take a big butterfly kick under water. I surface the water and start to swim Freestyle. I'm the fastest swimmer on my team in any of the strokes, so I don't have a problem with freestyle. My team wanted me to do Butterfly, but Coach wanted me to be the redeemer and make up for what we might lose. I'm relaxing right now and I see everyone behind me. The big competition is coming up next to me and we're both neck to neck. I see the end of the pool. I speed up and flip the fast. I push off the wall and twist my body over. I see my competition next to me trying to pass me, but I won' t let him. I push my self harder and I see the wall coming in close. I swim faster and harder. There's the wall. I take my last stroke and hit the wall hard.

I pop my head out of the water and look at the scores. I can' t believe it. I'm probably dreaming, but then my friends pull me out of the water and start cheering. We won! We're led through the large crowd of people and are put up on the stage. I get pushed to the front of the three-block platform and step on to the tallest block. I look at the boy standing in 2nd place. He did a pretty good job and he almost beat me. We shake hands and congratulate each other. The judges come over with the trophies and announce the winners. 3rd place goes to the girl on my left while 2nd place goes to my right. I reach out and take the large golden trophy and raise it above my head. The cheering is louder than before and my team lifts me on their shoulders. Like I said before; as long as I beat the best team, we will win!