What's the best advice you've ever received or given? 500 words
Ok so I have written 2 essays now on the same prompt. One about volleyball and one about swimming. I am still figuring out which one to use, but neither is done. I may even write another one because I have another idea.
The Girl Who Thinks She Can
"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight!" A man sat at the table, strumming his guitar, and singing of all things, the theme song to The Lion King. This was certainly no ordinary sight at Prestonwood Country Club. Meet Honza Holy, the most eccentric person I've ever met. Honza Holy was one of the Prestonwood Piranhas swim team coaches.
I don't know what inspired me to sign up for swim team. As a child, I found the thought of putting my face in the water repulsive. Knowing that Prestonwood was one of the best teams in the league intimidated me. It was second only to its archrival, Lochmere, a team that had won the Cary City Championship for thirteen years straight. Nevertheless, I decided to sign up anyway.
I rode my bike to the pool everyday at four o'clock. Practices were hard for me; I was clueless. Most of the other swimmers had been swimming since they were three or four years old. I always swam in the slow lane where others passed me. One day, our coach told us to do 200 yard IM warm-up. I felt embarrassed asking what "IM" was, but another girl answered me. IM stands for individual medley where you swim fly, back, then breast, then freestyle. I didn't even know how to do a flip turn, which was required for my age group. I have no doubt that I had terrible form as my hands pointlessly slapped through the water, my lungs desperately gasped for air, and my feet occasionally touched the bottom to rest. But I kept swimming.
Two weeks had barely passed before it was time for the first meet. I came in dead last at the time trial so I was the last seed at meets. It took me over one minute to swim 50 yards; a good time is less than half of that. I felt like I was holding everyone up due to my lack of speed, but the coaches stood on the poolside screaming, "Go Lauren!" anyway. Each week, I shaved a few seconds off my time, but I was still the slowest and this was starting to faze me.
Before the Cary City meet, I remember Honza reading a poem, Walter Wintle's "Thinking", to the team. The last verse of the poem read, "But sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can." Last meet. It was me against the clock. Would I break my personal record? Yes, yes I believed I would. I plowed through the water in 31.93 seconds. Lauren Rackley was no longer the slowest swimmer!
I won an award that season for Second Place Most Improved in my age group. Proud of my achievement, I recognized Honza's poem recital as an admonition to me to stop doubting myself. How could I have doubted myself before? I became discouraged too easily and almost gave up. Now I am the girl who thinks she can.
Ok so I have written 2 essays now on the same prompt. One about volleyball and one about swimming. I am still figuring out which one to use, but neither is done. I may even write another one because I have another idea.
The Girl Who Thinks She Can
"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight!" A man sat at the table, strumming his guitar, and singing of all things, the theme song to The Lion King. This was certainly no ordinary sight at Prestonwood Country Club. Meet Honza Holy, the most eccentric person I've ever met. Honza Holy was one of the Prestonwood Piranhas swim team coaches.
I don't know what inspired me to sign up for swim team. As a child, I found the thought of putting my face in the water repulsive. Knowing that Prestonwood was one of the best teams in the league intimidated me. It was second only to its archrival, Lochmere, a team that had won the Cary City Championship for thirteen years straight. Nevertheless, I decided to sign up anyway.
I rode my bike to the pool everyday at four o'clock. Practices were hard for me; I was clueless. Most of the other swimmers had been swimming since they were three or four years old. I always swam in the slow lane where others passed me. One day, our coach told us to do 200 yard IM warm-up. I felt embarrassed asking what "IM" was, but another girl answered me. IM stands for individual medley where you swim fly, back, then breast, then freestyle. I didn't even know how to do a flip turn, which was required for my age group. I have no doubt that I had terrible form as my hands pointlessly slapped through the water, my lungs desperately gasped for air, and my feet occasionally touched the bottom to rest. But I kept swimming.
Two weeks had barely passed before it was time for the first meet. I came in dead last at the time trial so I was the last seed at meets. It took me over one minute to swim 50 yards; a good time is less than half of that. I felt like I was holding everyone up due to my lack of speed, but the coaches stood on the poolside screaming, "Go Lauren!" anyway. Each week, I shaved a few seconds off my time, but I was still the slowest and this was starting to faze me.
Before the Cary City meet, I remember Honza reading a poem, Walter Wintle's "Thinking", to the team. The last verse of the poem read, "But sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can." Last meet. It was me against the clock. Would I break my personal record? Yes, yes I believed I would. I plowed through the water in 31.93 seconds. Lauren Rackley was no longer the slowest swimmer!
I won an award that season for Second Place Most Improved in my age group. Proud of my achievement, I recognized Honza's poem recital as an admonition to me to stop doubting myself. How could I have doubted myself before? I became discouraged too easily and almost gave up. Now I am the girl who thinks she can.