The smell of the chlorine was strong.  It was so strong that as soon as you walked in your eyes instantly became dry.  The Detroit Lakes community center, that's where my swimming and diving career changed forever.  I was in eighth grade and it was the section finals for swimming and diving. I had worked very hard throughout the season to get there.  I did four events that day: the two hundred yard medley relay, the two hundred yard freestyle relay, diving, and one hundred yard breastroke.

Diving was up first.

We arrived at the pool around seven thirty in the morning.  The DL community center only had one diving board, so were grouped by teams.  The groups only had a certain amount of time on the board to warm up, so we were all in a hurry.  I was up first on the board and when my feet hit the board, I had to scrunch my toes to get a good grip.  The grip on the board felt like sandpaper on my feet, but I had gotten use to that feeling. My shami was in my mouth and I could taste the chlorine and feel the water drip onto my tongue.  I got through my first eight dives. We did our first eight dives in the morning and the last three we did in the middle of the meet. My dives felt good and I was ready for the meet to start.  Finally, when the meet started, I began to feel butterflies in my stomach. The diving order was random. I was towards the end of the list, so I had time to mentally prepare for my dives. That's the thing about diving--it’s ten percent physical and ninety percent mental.  

Finally I was up.  

“Here we go Spencer” and “Let’s go Spence” were being shouted all around me.  I hopped up on the board and began to focus. The board began to feel like my best friend as I put all my trust into it and hoped it would treat me well.  My first dive was an inward dive, which was a pretty easy dive for me, so I wasn't too nervous. The first dive went well and I received all sevens for it.  I hit the bottom of the pool with my feet and shot up to the top. When I breached the surface, I could hear loud clapping and cheering. I had a good start and kept the momentum through the rest of my eight dives.  When everyone was done with the first eight dives, I sat in second place before we all headed to the finals.

Now it's time for the swimming portion of the meet.  We went through our usual warm up routine. The first swimming event was the two hundred yard medley relay.  Four strokes are swam on that relay, and I swam the breastroke. My biggest competition was right next to me, Nic Chromey.  To put it in perspective, Nic Chromey was a freshman and stood six and a half feet tall. He was a year older than me, had more experience, and had chiseled muscles with a defined six pack of abs.  I, on the other hand, was a scrawny little eighth grader that had little to no muscle. We just had to wait until we were both in the water to see how it would end.

Before the relay started I did my normal ritual.  I shook my arms and legs to the point where they could almost fall off.  Then I grabbed both my hands and hit them back and forth while leaning over, sort of like Michael Phelps. Then the relay started, we were off to a good start.  I swam second leg, so when our backstroker touched the wall I dove off the starting block as fast as I could. We were in the lead when I dove in. I could sense Nic behind me, gaining.  I swam as fast as I could, touched the wall, and turned. On the way back I could see my team cheering for me at the other end. I swam as fast as I could as I touched the wall and looked up.  It was the fastest split I had gone all year. I was excited, but not too excited because I didn't have that much energy left. Our team ended up fourth just barely missing state.

Next was the two hundred yard freestyle relay.  In this relay everyone swims fifty yards of freestyle.  I was the first to start. There were many sounds all around me but I blocked them all out.  I heard the whistle of the referee as I stood on the blocks. I was so nervous as I waited to dive into the cool water.  

“Take your mark.” says the referee.

Then a loud alarm sounded as all the first swimmers dove in the water.  Everyone was trying to be the fastest to the wall. I didn’t breathe the whole way down to the first wall.  I remembered my coach telling me to not breathe until I absolutely had to.

“You only need one breathe” He said.

“Only one?” I questioned.

“Yes, only one.”

I got to the wall and flipped my legs and feet as hard and fast as I could.  My feet touched the wall, and with all the power I had, I pushed off and continued swimming.  On my way down, I took one breathe in the middle of the pool. After the breathe, I buried my head in the water and kicked my legs as hard as I could.  I just wanted to be the first to the other side of the pool. I got to the other side, touch the wall, looked up and realized it was my fastest split for the fifty freestyle I had swam all season.

Now back to Diving, we had our last three dives of the day.  I just wanted to get up on the board and dive the way I had been diving.  I knew if I did that, I had a shot of going to state. I mentally prepared my dives in my head.  The last three dives were more difficult to execute than the previous eight. My name was called, so I got up on the board, and again I heard cheers from the fans.   My first two dives went well and then it was time for my last dive. I walked over to the board, and stepped up as I prepared to perform my inward double. This was my last dive and most difficult dive of the day.  I walked to the end of the board, let out a deep breath, placed my toes at the end of the board, and stood on the balls of my feet. I then let out one last deep breath and began my dive. As I hit the water, I knew I had nailed the dive.  I reached the surface of the water and I could hear our whole fan section cheering for me. I was so happy and excited to have placed second, because that meant I was going to state.

As the top eight divers walked out to the podium, I felt a sense of relief.  I was still in shock and just couldn’t believe I was going to be going to the state meet.  I hopped up onto the podium and received my medal with the biggest smile ever.

To think I wanted to quit diving that year.

Finally the last event, the hundred yard breastroke.  This was by far, the most nervous I had ever felt. I was seeded second going into the finals, right behind Nic.  There were two other guys that were seeded right behind me by only a few tenths of second. I knew if I just swam like the day before, I could make it to state.  I stood behind the block and the only thought going through my head was to swim fast. My whole team was on the other side of the pool waiting to cheer me on. The whistle blew and it was time for me to get up on the blocks.  The referee again said what he did before with same voice and the same tone.

“Take your mark”

Then the sound.

I’m off, I’m off the block as fast I had ever been before and into the water.  I swam back and forth as my team cheered me on. I heard my Dad’s voice over everyone.

“GO...GO….GO,”  He shouted.

I thought about the saying on our shirts, “When my body gets tired, my mind says this is where winners are made.  When my mind is tired, the heart says this is where champions are made.” I swam faster as I could see that other swimmers were catching up to me.  I could see Nic out in front of me and the other two guys right beside me. The three of us swam neck and neck as we went into our final lap. I gave everything I had to that swim.  My teammates were screaming for me as I picked up speed by moving my arms faster than I ever had before. I lost feeling in my arms, legs, and body, but I didn't care. I just needed to get to the wall and finish the race.  As I took my final stroke, I dove down and reached my arms out as far as I could to touch the wall. Everything was silent.

I looked up at the clock and saw that we had placed third.  I had out touched the guy next to me by a tenth of a second.  The crowd roared with cheers. I looked at my Dad and saw him jumping up and down in excitement.  I had done it, and I had made it to state in two events. All the hard work I had put into the season finally paid off.  It was a very special moment for me, not only the atmosphere and hearing the cheers, but knowing I did it. That was the first time I had made it to state, and the proudest moment for my parents and I to cherish.