Everest Green was determined to go through her four years of college unnoticed by steering clear of any kind of trouble. Law school was her ultimate goal and no one was going to stand in her way, not even the Greek god lookalikes at Bowling Green Un...
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I slid my BGU orange cap on making sure it was placed correctly. I grabbed my Navy and Orange Vanquisher EV Mirrored Goggles from the front pocket of my Nike windbreaker and I put them on. Just in case, I made sure to adjust the straps, you can never be too sure.
Your goggles sliding off once you jump into the water can impact your performance in a meet and not in the best way. Once I made sure everything was in place, I took off my jacket and placed it in the plastic box in front of the white chair where I was sitting. I stretched my body and moved my arms around as I waited for the signal that indicated to us that we could step on the block.
The signal was given. I stepped on the block, positioning my legs to form a 90-degree knee bend. I took my time positioning my legs and I took deep breathes in between. Bending at the waist, I gripped the block with myfingers curling over the front edge. My elbows were rotated backward (towards my feet). Once I was correctly positioned I focused on the sound of the whistle, as I waited impatiently for it to blow. I could feel my heart beating faster each time and the adrenaline was rushing in.
The first whistle blew. It was game time. The second whistle blew. My reaction to the whistle was quick which gave me a whole body advantage over my opponent. Despite my clear advantage, I knew I had him on my tail which meant that as I began to see the wall at the end of the first 25 meters, he would be closing in. As I got closer to the wall I focused on the quick flip at the wall. Aside from the starting jump, the flip at the end of the 25 meters was key to the outcome of the meet. In other words, it could make or break your meet.
Once I reached the end of the 25 meters, I flipped and quickly pushed my body off of the wall. At this moment, I gave it all I had left in my tank with every kick and arm stroke. My opponent was close, but I was confident that I had this meet in the bag. The sound of the screams and cheers from the crowd filled my ears every time I went up for air. Every time I went up, I could see the wall closer each time. I gave it all I got, even though I had a whole body advantage over my opponent.
Getting too confident can also turn out to work against your favor, Coach always told us that it didn't matter if our opponent was flipping off of the wall and you were already halfway through your last 25 meters. You should always give it your all, whatever is left in the tank. In a matter of seconds, I reached the end with my hands touching the wall. When I looked up, the pavilion was silent. When I looked at the board to check my time, first place. Fuck yeah! We were moving on to the next round.
The whole team was shouting and celebrating, as I got out of the pool. And standing next to the rest of the team with a big smile plastered across her face was Ev, waiting for me to walk up to her as my teammates congratulated me on the meet. "Precioso, you were amazing out there, I can't wait to see you conquer Tokyo next year."
I smile as I plant a kiss on her pink-tinted lips and engulf her in a hug. "I was, wasn't I? The job's not done though. This is only just the beginning. And I can't wait for Tokyo either, I'll be shocking a lot of people. Also, with you there with me, what else could I ever ask for?"
