Swim Meets

As you open the heavy glass doors, you are welcomed by a sense of urgency. People are everywhere! Some are running, some are talking with nervous excitement, some are bobbing their head in rhythm to the music on their ipods. Some people look confused, but they are all rushing to get to the next glass door. They look like ants trying to get to an ant hill. You can feel the excitement in the air and you become curious to see what it's all about.

As you walk through the second glass door, you feel the excitement and the noise begin to escalate. The farther you walk, the warmer it gets and the more people you seem to find. There are so many people that it is very difficult to wiggle your way in. As you move in the room grows warmer and the people start talking louder as they scurry around looking for a place to sit.

Suddenly you hear a loud whistle blast and you turn to find a pool filled with kids with funny rubber hats pulled down over their heads and really tight goggles squishing their faces. The are packed in the lanes as they are trying to make their way to the wall. The whistle sounds again and you hear a sudden splash as two swimmers dive and swim with a hurried pace across the pool. You become mesmerized by all the commotion and the serious expressions on the competitors faces, a stark contrast to the expression of the people in the audience.

You laugh as the smaller children try to dive but they slap the water instead. They are so cute with their crooked caps and big goggles. The younger children try to mimic the older ones by having serious expressions and copying their stretching routine. As you watch, the same sense of excitement overtakes you and you feel yourself being pulled into the fun.