Medals for the Water

Chapter 4

The next couple of days I spent practicing with my team. It was hard work as always but I enjoyed it. I love swimming so this isn’t work for me. It’s fun. Working with an Olympic team is so much different than with a High School swim team. The other swimmers are like professionals. Swimming is their job. 

I enjoyed talking to Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte we have became great friends. Its like age doesn’t matter. Ryan is hilarious and can brighten anyone’s day. Michael is so serious with what he does and he encourages everyone. I have become a great friend with everyone. Coach Boone has made himself a “lady friend” as he puts it. Tomorrow is my first race in the Olympics. I am not scared but positive. It’s the Preliminary 100 meter freestyle. There are 3 heats tomorrow to determine if you go to the 100-meter freestyle final. The final is the medal race. 

I have talked to my mom everyday and my friends. My brother hasn’t even called me or texted me. After last night we weren’t allowed to contact our parents. We needed to concentrate on swimming. I was so confused. The atmosphere at the Olympics is great, the coaches and staff have really been preping us for what to come. 

I am sitting here in bed, its 12:02 a.m. and tomorrow well today I have my first race. I can’t go to sleep and I have to be up at the crack of dawn. Its like I am too excited to be tired. But I need my sleep. I kept tossing and turning. Kathleen was already asleep. I am amazed I haven’t waked her up yet but she is a heavy sleeper.

I tossed the covers off of me and stepped out of bed. I was in a Nike tank top and polka dotted sleeping shorts. My hair was still neat and in a pony tail so I didn’t look terrible. I didn’t know where I was going to go so I slipped on one of the team-swimsuits I had and got some goggles. On my way out of the resort room I grabbed a towel and went into the vacant hall. Everyone was asleep as I should be, but no my dang nerves kept me from falling asleep.

I stepped into the elevator and clicked on ground floor. I probably wasn’t supposed to be up at this hour much less by myself in the pool. But when I am worried or can’t sleep I swim to calm my nerves. For me, swimming makes me feel all that better.

The lights around the pool were already on. I knew that only Olympic swimmers were allowed down here. I silently tiptoed around the benches and crouched down. A male from what I could see was doing freestyle laps. He had a USA cap on but that’s all I could see. The guy stepped out of the pool to get back on the platform that’s when I noticed it was Michael Phelps.

I decided there was no need for me to continue looking like a spy so I got up and walked to the empty platform next to Michael and sat down. He was headed back from his 100 meter lap. When he got to his platform he noticed me. He smiled and took off his goggles and cap.

“What are you doing down here?” He asked me surprised.

“I couldn’t sleep so I decided I would go for a swim” I smiled and rested my head on my knee. I was only inches from the water that Michael was in. “What about you?”

“Same. Swimming just calms me down. “

“The greatest Olympian of all time gets nervous?” I teased.

“Well yea, this is my last Olympic games, last few races. I feel like I need to make it count.”

He looked saddened yet confident.

“I didn’t know this was your last games. Why? Your a legend. Why not keep swimming until you just get too old” I was disappointed. I loved watching Phelps race. Everyone did. Why would he quit?

“I’m not quitting just retiring. I want to leave on good bases. Where I am at the top of my game. Other swimmers need a chance for the spotlight to. I love swimming, but I have spent my whole life doing nothing other than swimming. I want to do something different for a change.” I understood what he meant by that. I don’t blame him to be honest. I just never thought the king of swimming would retire. But everyone does at some point.