Welcome back to another blog! Today’s blog is going to be all about my first swim competition. I’ll be talking about my swim experience, what heats I joined (a heat is what swim events you compete in), how I felt during the competition, a few tips and tricks, and what I placed in each heat. Let’s get started!
I’ve been swimming for 5 years, since I was 6 years old. Here’s my story. When I was younger, my dad would try to teach me how to swim in pools we went to, but of course, a young kid does not want to learn something, we just want to play! A few years later, my dad enrolled me in swimming lessons. I started to get way better at my technique, and most importantly, I was fast. I went from Level 1 all the way to swim team.
In winter 2023, I had my first ever swim competition. I joined a 25m freestyle heat, a 25m breaststroke heat, and a 25m backstroke heat. When I first stepped into the pool room, I got really nervous. In my head, I was thinking, what if everyone is faster than me? What if I lose in every heat? Instead of thinking bad thoughts, I should have been thinking about the good things that could happen.I kept watching all the other heats until it was time for my first one, which was freestyle. They called my name, and I got ready. I was super nervous, but ready to swim. In my first heat, freestyle, I got second place. In my second heat, breaststroke, I got second place. And lastly, in my third heat, backstroke, I got first place!
Lastly, I’ll share some of my tips and tricks. My first tip is to eat protein and a banana 2 hours before your competition. The protein will make you strong, and the banana will help stop cramps. My second tip is to not have sugar before you race. You may think it will boost your energy, but it can actually give you a headache or make your stomach hurt. My last and final tip is to stretch before your swimming competition, but make sure not to overstretch or you might get a cramp.
Now that’s a wrap on my first ever swimming competition! Make sure to check out my other blogs if you haven’t already. See you in the next one!
