Sequel: Swimmers Story ›
My 3 Dedications And Me
First Time Faults
She was pacing outside when Michael walked down to the coach, "Calm! My mom is ready to meet them tomorrow and she's all ready to lie through her teeth for us. Now keep your head Phoenix or we ruin this!" he warned quietly as Ryan came bounding down the steps towards them. It was an agonising wait to get her meet underway, every second dragged by and she felt physically sick. She shoved her earplugs in and her headphones on watching the girls around her, she ran the race she needed over and over in her head and she convinced herself she was ready for it.
She was Dolly Phoenix, she put girls who were sure bets in last place as a kid and she could do it now! 5 minutes until she swam at the Olympics! That was it, the moment she stopped dead, her stomach twisted and she thought she was about to throw up. Just as she was about to leave they all got in line and she stared at them all finding her place losing her race plan.
They all walked out and she looked up at the crowds as she walked towards lane 3, biggest mistake she'd ever made! Everything blurred as she panicked and stood on the start, she felt out of place already. The buzzer went and she dived in, she didn't seem to find her rhythm and met the wall at a half stroke, she pushed off and broke the surface to see she was trailing the other girls. She panicked and returned to her old swims of breathing every 3 strokes, she knew it was all going wrong but she just couldn't seem to do anything about it and she touched the wall not even wanting to know her time and disappeared to the other pool.
Michael appeared not long after glaring at her and she avoided looking at him, she snuck out later in and he cornered her! "Are you fucking kidding Phoenix! I bring you all the way here and put all my efforts in for you to swim a 58.35?" he growled and she looked away. "I-I..." she trailed off "Panicked and let the crowd get to you! You acknowledged the crowd and I told you not to! You have to get your head down and just focus!" he lectured and she nodded.
"Your reaction was slower than your worst! 58.35? You can swim that with weights tied to you! You better do better than that in the semis!" he argued at her and she shook her head. "A 58.35 won't get me in the semis" "Well it has in lane 7 of Dana's semi final, she won't mess around so if you don't get your act together you're fucked basically!" he stated and she looked at him. "You have a second chance and that doesn't happen very often in this sport so don't you fuck it up! She's capable of sub 56 so you need to hold on to her but in lane 7 that's going to be hard" he snapped and set about telling her what to do.
She left climbing back on the coach when Ryan sat at her side "So my little flyer, you qualified for your first semi final!" he smiled and she nodded "I swam a 58.35...I won't get far with that" "Oh, you can swim faster though right?" he quizzed. "I can swim better than a 58, I just..." "Panicked? It's your first big meet and it happens, don't dwell on it and move on. Tonight will be different and you'll go under 58, but honestly I just want to eat and sleep" he admitted and she nodded.
They got back to the village and he grabbed her hand pulling her off with him, she dawdled at his side and he squeezed her hand "Kid don't beat yourself up, we've all had shitty swims! We've all done it, we can't be a game all the time. But you have the opportunity to change it" he reassured and she nodded again.
She was Dolly Phoenix, she put girls who were sure bets in last place as a kid and she could do it now! 5 minutes until she swam at the Olympics! That was it, the moment she stopped dead, her stomach twisted and she thought she was about to throw up. Just as she was about to leave they all got in line and she stared at them all finding her place losing her race plan.
They all walked out and she looked up at the crowds as she walked towards lane 3, biggest mistake she'd ever made! Everything blurred as she panicked and stood on the start, she felt out of place already. The buzzer went and she dived in, she didn't seem to find her rhythm and met the wall at a half stroke, she pushed off and broke the surface to see she was trailing the other girls. She panicked and returned to her old swims of breathing every 3 strokes, she knew it was all going wrong but she just couldn't seem to do anything about it and she touched the wall not even wanting to know her time and disappeared to the other pool.
Michael appeared not long after glaring at her and she avoided looking at him, she snuck out later in and he cornered her! "Are you fucking kidding Phoenix! I bring you all the way here and put all my efforts in for you to swim a 58.35?" he growled and she looked away. "I-I..." she trailed off "Panicked and let the crowd get to you! You acknowledged the crowd and I told you not to! You have to get your head down and just focus!" he lectured and she nodded.
"Your reaction was slower than your worst! 58.35? You can swim that with weights tied to you! You better do better than that in the semis!" he argued at her and she shook her head. "A 58.35 won't get me in the semis" "Well it has in lane 7 of Dana's semi final, she won't mess around so if you don't get your act together you're fucked basically!" he stated and she looked at him. "You have a second chance and that doesn't happen very often in this sport so don't you fuck it up! She's capable of sub 56 so you need to hold on to her but in lane 7 that's going to be hard" he snapped and set about telling her what to do.
She left climbing back on the coach when Ryan sat at her side "So my little flyer, you qualified for your first semi final!" he smiled and she nodded "I swam a 58.35...I won't get far with that" "Oh, you can swim faster though right?" he quizzed. "I can swim better than a 58, I just..." "Panicked? It's your first big meet and it happens, don't dwell on it and move on. Tonight will be different and you'll go under 58, but honestly I just want to eat and sleep" he admitted and she nodded.
They got back to the village and he grabbed her hand pulling her off with him, she dawdled at his side and he squeezed her hand "Kid don't beat yourself up, we've all had shitty swims! We've all done it, we can't be a game all the time. But you have the opportunity to change it" he reassured and she nodded again.