學生作品 › 5B

Becoming a Good Swimmer

Today, I just won a third place in a swimming competition and stood on the stage. I feel so proud of myself because when I think back, I wasn’t even brave enough to enter the pool, let alone win a medal! I remember that last summer, I saw many kids playing happily in the swimming pool, so I wanted to learn how to swim. I told my mom about it, and she was supportive and helped me apply for swimming lessons. But when I got to the swimming lessons, things didn’t go as smoothly as I had imagined.

I was excited at first, but my excitement quickly faded when I saw how deep the pool was. I was so scared that I stayed by the side of the pool. I was shivering and shaking, not because I was cold, but because I was extremely scared of drowning. No, I wasn’t traumatized for life; I was just simply scared. When the coach saw me squatting down and hugging myself, he got down on one knee. He started encouraging me. He told me not to fret or panic and to stay calm. He shared that when he was young, he was also afraid of the water, but he overcame it when his coach told him that swimming was nothing to be afraid of. Once you try to swim and believe in yourself, you can really achieve your goals. I listened to his advice, and to my surprise, I didn’t sink or swallow any water once I was in the pool. Hold up, hold up! Did you actually think that I could swim on my first attempt? I was using a floatie!

I was afraid that I would sink the moment I saw how deep the water was, but at this very moment, I had overcome my fear of water! The coach’s advice had not only helped me learn different techniques, but it had also helped me overcome my fear of water. I was so thankful for him! He taught me a technique and told me that if I wanted to win, my arms and legs had to be extremely flexible. I had to do a lot of stretching so that my arms and legs wouldn’t get cramps easily.

After practicing for six months, my coach told me that I was ready for the competition. So, going back to the start of the story, I got third place. I learned that I should be persistent and never give up if I want to succeed.