-
And the Journey Begins
This is the first day of my junior year of high school. Junior year is the hardest year of high school, and with my first two years as a high schooler under my belt, I knew it would be tough and was ready to accept the challenge. While I had always worked hard in high school, I knew junior year would be different and I accepted the challenge it presented to me, willing to do whatever it took in order to succeed and come out on top. -
Just Keep Swimming
This was the first meet of high school swim season, at Charlotte County. We were all pumped to get the season started. I swam the 100 Butterfly (1:05) and 200 Freestyle, both of which I improved my times. I was stoked that I had finally achieved a faster time for the fly, but knew I had the capacity to do better. Through the meet, I learned that not only had all my hard work over the summer started paying off, but if I continued to put in more hard work, I could be even better. -
Got Tug of War?
The team beach day, a tradition started my junior year of high school, has helped me to gain inexplicable bonds with my team mates, virtually grasp onto and see what team and teammates should look like, and form a family with a bunch of high schoolers I wouldn't have known otherwise. We did a lot of fun activities, such as tug of war and relays, that helped our team form a great inexplainable bond that would benefit us greatly during the swim meets and swim season. -
A New-Found Hope
At Catholic States, a swimming invitational meet, I drastically improved my 100 Butterfly time. The race was grueling and tough, but when I slammed the touch pad on the wall and looked at my time (1:02.07), I was dumbstruck. I had never raced that fast before in my life and never believed that I could. Catholic States is a crucial part in my swimming career, as it enabled me to see the swimmer I have inside me and gives me hope whenever I compare myself to my friends and fellow swimmers. -
Dance the Night Away
My junior year Homecoming dance was the first dance that I had ever been asked by anyone. While in the past I had always imagined what it would be like to be asked, I learned that it's a lot more fun to go with a good group of friends than a guy. While some girls may like it better, it's just not for me. If I could go back in time, I would have just gone with my friends, I believe I would have had a lot more fun. I also learned about how annoying strapless dresses really are. -
We Are the Champions
At the Lake Placid Invitational swim meet, the last meet before districts, the Bishop Verot girls team won first place out of all girls teams, and I won my individual 100 butterfly. Lake Placid was an encouraging meet to have before districts, and helped me learn that I am a fast swimmer even without a special swim meet, winning the 100 Butterfly in my team suit with a time of 1:04. 100 Butterfly 1st place -
Why So Serious
The competition series began with the district meet, in which I won third place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:02. Me being sick and it being absolutely freezing outside, I was more than estatic to achieve such a time. Whenever I get nervous for a swim meet or any other competition, I usually psych myself out and tell myself it's okay to not do good as long as I 'try my best'. Through districts, I see that I can do my best regardless of my circumstances and to rely more on my talent. -
Cheeburger, Cheeburger
In the first semester of my junior year of high school, I decided to take the Photo 1 class to learn a liitle more about photography. Little did I know that four months later, I would have developed an interest, and later passion for photography. On the field trip we took to Sanibel, I saw my potential for photography, and ability to utilize the skills I had learned in the classroom whenever I took pictures. This realization led to my eventual purchase of a camera, a Nikon, of my own. -
Make It or Break It
My time in the 100 fly at districts was fast enough for me to qualify for and swim in the regional swim meet. At refionals, my time for the butterfly was my fastest yet, at 1:01.74. Words cannot express the happiness I felt at achieving this crazy fast time, a time I would have never dreamed possible at the start of my junior year or even my freshman year. All the hard work and practices I had put in were paying off, and made me proud of the athlete I had become. -
Disapointment
The most dissapointing moment in my high school swimming career came when I did not swim fast enough at regions in my individual events to make it to the state meet. The hardest part was having the strength to congratulate and shower my friends with happiness at their accomplishments in making it, while I couldn't celebrate with them. It hurt that I wasn't good enough, despite all my effort, but I learned to channel that pain into hard work and put all the enegry I had into training hard. -
Time to Get Serious
I was fortunate enough to be able to swim at the state swim meet in Stuart, Florida, in two relays, the 200 and 400 freestly relays. This meet had one of the greatest atmospheres I've ever encountered, full of hard work, enthusiasm, and of course, fun. Everyone there swam rediculously fast. The mindset of the determinated athletes, the feats they were accomplishing, and the oversll atmosphere 'clicked' something inside of me, making me want to be there again and push harder to accomplish that. -
And the Fun Begins
With swim season over, I became elligible for soccer. After tryouts, at which I fully realized how out of shape I really was, I earned a spot on the girls Junior Varsiity soccer team. I was definitely not the soccer player that I was at the end of my sophomore year, but I was determined to work hard, go to as many practices as I was capable of going to, and become the better player I was, and then some. Nothing could hold me back, with my determination and self-discipline. -
Go Big or Go Home
At the last soccer game of the season, against South Fort Myers High, I was able to view all the hard work and long practices I had put in, simply by the player I had become. While I wasn't always that good of a player, my hard work showed off and shaped me into a much greater player. After the game was over, my coach told me that it was the best I had played the entire season. The accomplishments I achieved when I work hard drive me to push harder, and ultimately become the best I can be. -
¿Hablas Español?
Due to my great efforts made in my Spanish classes throughout high school, I was nominated for and accepted into the Spanish Honor Society. This is one of my great accademic feats, accomplished by my hard work, determination, and self-discipline. similar to swimming, academic success has as much to do with mentality as knowledge and studying. In order to be the best you can be, you need to know than you are capable of doing great things and strive to achieve those things, -
Math Geek
Also due to my efforts and drive im school, as well as my personal interest in math, I was nominated for and accepted into Mu Aplha Theta, the Math National Homor Society. As with the Spanish Honor Society, I was thrilled to be accepted into such a prestigous club, and honor society. As a child (in my past) with low self-esteem and no confidence in my abilities to excel, feats like these mean the world to me as they demonstrates my capabilities and the talent obtained inside me. -
A (Or Principal's List) For Effort
My junior year was the first year that I was invited to attend the Academic Scholar's Banquet. I was close in making it last year (.01 off from my first quarter GPA), but not close enough and was devastated as a result. My biggest academic goal for my junior year was to achieve high enough grades to attend the scholar's banquet. When I found out I was admitted, I was estatic. I put all my effort and energy into achieving high grades to make it. I can achieve anything when I put my mind to it.
