I will never forget that day; November 18, 2006, when I won my first gold medal. My LESD relay team was counting on me, as anchor, to catch up to the girl ahead of us and beat her. If we won the relay, we would win the entire Mark Braun championship meet. I knew it would be a tough race as my opponent already had a flags length head start, but I had a 100 yards to catch up to her and I was determined to do so. As I dove into the cool water I could already hear my heart pounding with determination. I swam my heart out. When I neared the last turn, I noticed that she only had a heads length lead on me, but I was tiring out quickly and could barely move my arms and legs. However, I knew that if I gave up right then and there, my team would never think of me in the same way or rely on me again. So I took a deep breath, put my head down, and kicked as hard and as fast as I could. I pulled until I could no longer control the pattern my arms were taking. I gave the race all I had; which turned out to be just enough, as I out touched the girl and won the race. Even with tiring muscles and pain, I kept swimming and never gave up. I believe in never giving up.
Most people try new things and sometimes they succeed and sometimes they don’t. Some people will give up and stop trying if they don’t think they are doing well or believe they are not the best at that particular thing. I believe that no one should ever give up. We must always keep trying. I can’t say that I have never given up or that I have always fought to the end, but I encourage myself, and others, to do their personal best and to try and stick it out and work hard until they finish. I know that when I am dedicated to something, I never give up. I will even play through injuries and pain. During my swim season, I had shoulder and elbow injuries to the point where I could barely put any pressure on that arm. Yet I continued to swim until the season was over. I refused to go to a doctor in case they told me I could not continue the season. I never gave up, and it paid off in the end, as I helped HB win IPSL’s for the third year in a row. Similarly, during the volleyball season, I played a game with what my teammates thought was a broken finger, ignoring the pain and helping defeat our rival school. Every time I set the ball I felt the pain race through my hand from my finger, yet I wouldn’t give up. I played to the end and created the perfect set for one of my teammates to attack and end the game. The elation I felt from these victories made it all worth while. I will always try my hardest and hope I succeed. I believe in trying my best and fighting until the end. No matter what obstacles may come my way, I will never give up.
This I believe.