Yesterday I had my first swim meet of my senior season. Getting on the bus and on the way there, I had butterflies in my stomach because of how nervous I was. Not only was I nervous about my last high school season but my boyfriend and his parents were coming to watch me.

A couple months back on the very first day of summer, I broke my foot and was out of swimming for 6 weeks. Basically the whole summer. I knew I was going to have to try and stay in shape, but it’s not easy. I lost eight pounds of muscle in my legs when I went to the doctor's office. All I could do was work my upper body and pray to god that I didn’t mess my career up. Today, thinking back to that day breaking my foot, I had to have a lot of positive thoughts, which is not the easiest thing. After I was cleared, I had five days to get back into shape before state. Before I knew it, the state was already here. 

My first race was the 200 breaststroke. Getting up on the block was the scariest moment of my life–I knew I was racing girls that were more in shape, but I knew I could do it. Looking up at my mom, I could tell by the look on her face that she was “nervous” for me, how ironic.” that it’s what I've been feeling the whole time. My heartbeat beats faster than a car's engine. As soon as I know it, I hear a loud buzzer go off and dive into the water. Cold water rushing through my body, eyes go black and not hearing a single noise besides water swishing in my ears and all around me. 

We hit the last wall, my body aching and tensing like walking in a frigid winter. Hitting the pad at the finish never felt so good. My body fearless of what I realized I was capable of. Looking at the scoreboard I placed second, Better than I would have ever imagined, coming back from a broken foot. Looking back at what had happened to me with a broken foot and a negative mindset, after all, I guess maybe coming back from injuries gives people their brightest moments.