Sweet Feeling

The locker room is silent as I stretch my limbs for the upcoming swim event. Point, relax, up, down. Breathe in and smell the chlorine. This is the feeling of an athlete. Girls come in and talk nosily and their chatter disrupts my concentration, I almost snap. They continue on and their need to stay talking in the locker room infuriates me and I stomp outside. "Why do they have their insipid conversation in the locker room, why not outside?" I say to myself as I leave.

In the swimming pool area I hear beeps, whistles and yelling. The splash of water hits my legs as I walk by. The more endless chatter of my teammates causes a headache but it'll soon be gone. My event is called. I stretch once more to relax my taut muscles and head towards the swimming block. The referees are calling the swimmers to position themselves. I am ready. Assuming the position on my block my legs tense, waiting for the horn to beep...GO!

I hit the water and the splash rises up in the air, my legs propel me through the water like a jet. My adrenaline is pumping and screaming, faster, faster, faster! I hear only the sound of water rushing by and dull cheering. My arms and legs are synchronized to push me ahead of the rest. They burn with the satisfaction of weeklong swimming practices and endless hours of dry land workouts. The final turn comes as I kick off the wall with all my might and head for the final stretch of water. Now the audience is roaring as I extend my hand for the touch pad to mark my time. The rush of air back into my lungs feels like heaven, but was it worth it? I turn my head and check for my time on the time board...YES! 1st place once again as I collapse into the water and enjoy the silence.