As I stood at the podium, looking down at the words of my speech, my final captain speech at my final sports banquet of my high school career, I lost it. The tears started streaming, and as I laughed it off to divert the attention from my emotional wreck, I couldn't help but to smile.
This was the cumulation of everything that I had worked for the past three years. The tears, the hurting muscles, the laughter, the failure, and the success. Looking down the line of 40 some odd young women standing by my side, tearing up along with me, I realized that I made the right decision the day I stepped into the chlorine ridden locker room of the North Haven Pool. When I suited up for all of those meets, the fear and anxiety was worth it. The bruised knees from getting out of the pool were a badge of camaraderie, worn proudly throughout the season. The early morning struggle to jump into the chilled pool every Saturday and Sunday were worth the goosebumps.
While I was leaving behind this part of my life, I knew that the team will without a doubt become stronger and better, with captains that will continue the values of hard work and determination. The girls were those that would work hard, and push through the pain to reach the final end product of all the endorphins releasing the one second they hit the touchpad before the others in the water.
This was my life the past three years. The pool, with it's huge windows streaming the morning sunlight on the rippled water, as we moved through the water as a team. The wet blue tile, as we slipped and slided around, laughing and dancing to the blocks. Oh and the blocks, where every emotion ran through each of our heads as we waiting for the dreaded words, "Take your mark ..."
But it ended at that podium. It was the final part, the final goodbye. And it was worth all of the struggle, the laughs, and the tears. So as I cried saying my last goodbyes as a captain, I said hello to the new part of my life, and opened the door for the team's next season to begin.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
A Team With One Heart
This picture was taken at our Swim-A-Thon, where we raised almost 2,000 dollars for the Susan G. Koman Foundation.With Breast Cancer Awareness Month nearing it's end, this is just a reminder of what good can come when a team, a family, sets their minds to something.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Success in Stride
"A successful team beats with one heart." - Anonymous
The heart of the North Haven Girls' Swimming and Diving team is full tonight, with love and happiness. With our senior night against Foran, we went in with just good, positive energy, happy with whatever the outcome. This season, we have overcome obstacle after obstacle, determination and fire burning within our hearts. Working to the max at practice, we entered this season looking and hoping for success, and achieved it tonight with the final meet of the season, my final meet of my high school career.
Words cannot express how deeply this team means to me. Every girl has left a lasting impression in my heart. These are a group of sisters, with our bonds growing stronger every day. As I swam my final lap today, I recounted everything these amazing young women have helped me with. As a team, we have conquered not only opponents from other teams, but our fiercest competitor, ourselves. Racing the clock, we have proven that we can, and will, continue to grow stronger.
So thank you, to the entire North Haven Girls' Swim Team. Being your captain has brought more joy into my life than anything else I've accomplished. And to our amazing coach Colleen Delaney, you are a constant role model to all of us. Your determination and caring attitude towards us has helped us become who we are today, and continues to shape us as we prepare for our futures.
Caps off to the 2011 SCC Division 2 Champions on their night of success. Our steady heartbeat will only become stronger as we continue to succeed together, as one.
The heart of the North Haven Girls' Swimming and Diving team is full tonight, with love and happiness. With our senior night against Foran, we went in with just good, positive energy, happy with whatever the outcome. This season, we have overcome obstacle after obstacle, determination and fire burning within our hearts. Working to the max at practice, we entered this season looking and hoping for success, and achieved it tonight with the final meet of the season, my final meet of my high school career.
Words cannot express how deeply this team means to me. Every girl has left a lasting impression in my heart. These are a group of sisters, with our bonds growing stronger every day. As I swam my final lap today, I recounted everything these amazing young women have helped me with. As a team, we have conquered not only opponents from other teams, but our fiercest competitor, ourselves. Racing the clock, we have proven that we can, and will, continue to grow stronger.
So thank you, to the entire North Haven Girls' Swim Team. Being your captain has brought more joy into my life than anything else I've accomplished. And to our amazing coach Colleen Delaney, you are a constant role model to all of us. Your determination and caring attitude towards us has helped us become who we are today, and continues to shape us as we prepare for our futures.
Caps off to the 2011 SCC Division 2 Champions on their night of success. Our steady heartbeat will only become stronger as we continue to succeed together, as one.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Determination
It's amazing what a year and a pool filled of sweat and hard work can do.
Just a year ago, we were up against a competitor team, West Haven, swimming as hard as we could with the end result a heart breaking loss by 1 point. Today, North Haven Girls' Swimming & Diving took the win, with the score 94-87.
Both meets brought tough competition from both teams, and attitudes of perseverance. The hard work and determination from both teams' shined in the water today, and there wasn't a race that wasn't a close one. Each girl from every team swam their hardest, and brought their "A" game, except this time North Haven took the win. But even with this fierce rivalry, nothing but the utmost respect for each other was shown on the deck today.
With two meets left in the season for North Haven, those being Hamden and Foran, the quest for Division 2 Champions continues. The determination grows every day for these swimmers, building up in their practices and ending in the results of their races.
Just a year ago, we were up against a competitor team, West Haven, swimming as hard as we could with the end result a heart breaking loss by 1 point. Today, North Haven Girls' Swimming & Diving took the win, with the score 94-87.
Both meets brought tough competition from both teams, and attitudes of perseverance. The hard work and determination from both teams' shined in the water today, and there wasn't a race that wasn't a close one. Each girl from every team swam their hardest, and brought their "A" game, except this time North Haven took the win. But even with this fierce rivalry, nothing but the utmost respect for each other was shown on the deck today.
With two meets left in the season for North Haven, those being Hamden and Foran, the quest for Division 2 Champions continues. The determination grows every day for these swimmers, building up in their practices and ending in the results of their races.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Swim For The Cure
When someone becomes a part of a team, they become part of a whole. It's more than just cheering each other on, hanging out in the locker room, going through the grueling practices together. It becomes a family, a sisterhood, where support and love overflows from the pool and into our everyday lives. No matter what the sport, the bonds one forms with one's teammates stick with that person through the thick and thin.
With Breast Cancer Awareness Month occurring, the sense of camaraderie couldn't be stronger, especially for the North Haven High School Girls' Swimming & Diving team. With this specific cancer hitting close to home for all of the girls', it wasn't a question that something had to be done to raise awareness and money.
On Sunday, October 16th at the North Haven Town Pool, the girls will put to the test just how strong their bond actually is. The North Haven Swim-A-Thon will occur, raising money with each lap to help fund research and hopefully a new idea to end breast cancer. With each stroke a girl swims, more money will be donated towards the Susan G. Koman Foundation. No matter what worries in the pool or in our daily lives, all of those will be left at the door as the girls swim as a whole. No racing, no records to beat, no competition. The only competitor the girls face Sunday is breast cancer, which they have gladly agreed to face head on.
They say that blood is thicker than water, but in a pool filled with over 40 girls swimming for their loved ones and loved ones of others battling the disease, it seems that love will be the thickest solution of them all.
With Breast Cancer Awareness Month occurring, the sense of camaraderie couldn't be stronger, especially for the North Haven High School Girls' Swimming & Diving team. With this specific cancer hitting close to home for all of the girls', it wasn't a question that something had to be done to raise awareness and money.
On Sunday, October 16th at the North Haven Town Pool, the girls will put to the test just how strong their bond actually is. The North Haven Swim-A-Thon will occur, raising money with each lap to help fund research and hopefully a new idea to end breast cancer. With each stroke a girl swims, more money will be donated towards the Susan G. Koman Foundation. No matter what worries in the pool or in our daily lives, all of those will be left at the door as the girls swim as a whole. No racing, no records to beat, no competition. The only competitor the girls face Sunday is breast cancer, which they have gladly agreed to face head on.
They say that blood is thicker than water, but in a pool filled with over 40 girls swimming for their loved ones and loved ones of others battling the disease, it seems that love will be the thickest solution of them all.
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