Swim For the Future

Tonight I participated in a fun charity meet at Asphalt Green to raise money for the Swim for the Future Scholarship program. Two Asphalt Green Masters swimmers, Doug Irgang and Andrew Fisher, died on 9/11. The Swim for the Future Scholarship was created in their memory and has helped make AGUA the most diverse team in the country. One of the scholarship recipients was Lia Neal, who won a Bronze medal during the 2012 London Olympics.  I've been in the AGUA Masters swimming program for 10 months now, and it has been the best decision I have ever made. I've always loved the water and have been a pretty good swimmer, having taken lessons when I was a child, mainly from the recommendation of my doctor to help manage my asthma. I was never into competitive swimming or high level athletics... Well, I was also a classically trained musician and had spent many hours in a practice room and performance rehearsals, which really led to little time for sports. I picked up swimming 10 months ago, in my 30's, mainly for fitness, and later discovered that this was also a great avenue to express my competitive nature. In the past ten months, I have reaped the rewards of the physical benefits that comes with swimming and have become a better and faster swimmer. I have also participated in what is now 4 swim meets under my belt. But the life on the pool deck and outside the pool have been the greatest gifts. I have found the most amazing community of people at Asphalt Green that I am proud to call my friends and family. This year has been one of the most challenging years for me personally, the pool and AGUA Masters have truly saved my life and given me the motivation, inspiration and support that I have needed to help me navigate through some of the toughest challenges in my life. To be able to participate in giving the gift of swimming and the experience of being on AGUA to someone else, is truly close to my heart.  The Charity meet was special - they mixed the Masters swimmers with the Kids Club teams into two house teams White vs. Blue. Each team consisted of masters and club swimmers. There were only 5 events 50 Fly, Back, Breast and Free then a 200 Relay. The winning team was determined by tallying the fastest average speed for each team.  It was great to get to interact with the kids and cheer them on, and hear them supporting us masters swimmers.  I was nervous, particularly during the backstroke since my stroke counts seemed so off during the turns at practice and during warm-up. One of the girls before I jumped in said, go for 5, and I told her I would - sure enough 5 strokes was perfect for the turn and I swam a personal best with that backstroke - 3 second drop from my LIU meet. I was also assigned to Lane 2, which is "my home lane advantage" - usually the lane I swim in at practice, so it felt quite homey and familiar. It was actually really nice to do a swim meet at the home pool!  My favorite was the relay - 3 kids and 1 adult. I had the most adorable group of girls approach me about a relay team. Grace, Madison and Isabella have been cheering with me all evening and they are the most precious girls I have ever met. As we were lining up for our heat we looked at each other, and I'm not sure who said it first, but we all nodded in agreement this was the "Girl Power" relay team. I swam the last leg of that relay with my whole heart, and I know that was one of the fastest splits I've had in comparison to my previous 50 Free performances. I definitely feel exhausted, but my heart is so full just being in the pool with the Asphalt Green community - the kids, parents, fellow masters swimmers and just everyone who calls AG home.  Of course, we're still taking donations. Please click on the link to make your donation to Swim for the Future. The "Girl Power" Relay Team - Madison, Grace & Isabella