One year ago this past week, the world shut down and everything changed as humanity came to grips with the severity of the novel coronavirus pandemic. When this happened I was competing at my last meet ever (Division II NCAAs) when it got canceled midway through. Fast forward to now, and I’m having all of the Snapchat and Instagram memories pop up of that week. The week that started with smiling faces, excitement abounding. Within a matter of moments, these memories turn to tears and uncertainty. This year has given me many opportunities to learn and grow, and in reflection, I realize that not only can big things happen in a year’s time, but they really happen in a matter of moments. Moments that can shape you or break you. We know that in swimming, a moment can make or break you. These are a few moments that I have seen, experienced, or hoped for:
In a moment, you can out-touch the guy in the lane next to you and win an Olympic gold: You can ask Michael Phelps about this one 😉
In a single moment you can decide your effort: Are you all in for practice today? Are you going to commit yourself to doing the absolute best you can even if you hate that race, or don’t feel like practicing today? Are you going to do your best to get your hand on the wall first even if you are on the B relay and not the A? Are you going to work on your technique on this set or are you going to swim mindlessly, just going through the motions?
In a single moment you can change your attitude: Maybe you come into practice in a really negative mood. This affects everyone, so you need to decide at that moment, are you going to let your negativity spread to others, or are you gonna work towards positivity? I’ve had some really bad races in my life, one’s where I touched the wall and felt defeated when I looked at my time on the scoreboard. At some point between touching the wall and getting done with warming down from the race, I’ve had to address that negativity and decide that I will not allow it to impact my next race.
In a moment you can have fun: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, swimming is such a fun sport for a lot of reasons. You can dance behind the blocks with your friends, you can embrace the suck that is a hard set and find the fun in it, and you can smile as you get on the block. That was one of my favorite moments as a swimmer, stepping up on the block for a race, a smile on my face, knowing that I was doing what I loved.
In a single moment you can fail: You can miss your turn, or slip off the block. Something like this doesn’t define your race or practice. Failure is good and failure gives you something to learn and grow from. Multiple times in my career I was taken off of a relay that I really wanted to be on. In those moments, I felt like I had failed. I definitely cried a little, I’m not a crier, I just loved being on relays that much. Looking back though, these were not failures. Getting told I was off a relay sparked a fire in me for the next season. A fire that made me work harder, to ensure that I would be on those relays the next season. What feels like a failure in that small moment, can be what leads you to long term success.
In a single moment you can succeed: Success feels so good. All of your hard work, all of the little moments that you have spent pushing yourself have culminated into this one amazing moment. Success may look like making your first A-final, it may look like nailing your new breathing pattern for the first time, it can look like finishing a set for the first time in a faster interval group.
In a moment, my career ended. Instead of getting to race my last few races, I walked onto the deck just to be told that it was over right there. As heartbreaking as that moment was, experiencing all of those other little moments (ok maybe not out touching someone for an Olympic gold, haha) made it all worth it. With swimming, I had felt the joyful moment of success that came with standing with my relay team on the podium at Nationals. I can look back onto all of the little moments that built up to those glimpses of success. The moments where I wanted to quit, but didn’t because I loved the sport. The moments in the middle of a hard best average set where I gritted my teeth and pushed just a little harder. All of these little moments are what shape you, so take it moment by moment and you will go far.