I was not always good at swimming; I used to hate it. I first learnt how to swim in preschool, and honestly, my first experience was not the best. After throwing a small tantrum about getting into the pool, my coach at the time decided to pick me up and throw me into the pool, ultimately forcing me to kick to stay afloat.
When I moved to primary school, my best friend at the time was an amazing swimmer. So amazing that she often swam for Zimbabwe at her young age. I had not started taking swimming seriously until one day during class sport when my coach put me on the side with all the team swimmers. It was more of a peer pressure type of experience, and I started taking swimming more seriously to match my fellow teammates’ energy and skill.
Of course, coming to Arundel, my seriousness in swimming continued as I began to enjoy the sport. Each Military Monday session and continuous chant of the phrase, “feel the burn, love the burn, the burn is your friend,” left me in pain and tired, but had a positive impact on both my physical and mental strength. I not only joined a team, but I found friends and a family. Each day is exciting with the ladies around me, from each training session to swimming sleepovers.
Fast forward to 2021, and here we are. Only getting better and improving, whilst our love for the water continues to grow. My transformation from the water-hating little girl to the Arundel Swimming Captain was a big surprise, one that I adore.