The Swim Family by Miranda Doller

Families come in different shapes and sizes. I have two families that are as different as they can be. The first one includes my mom, my dad, and my dogs. Then I have another family. The family that's been through every stroke and turn with me.  

Ever since I was six, I knew that swimming was the sport for me. I tried gymnastics, soccer, tennis, and even ballet. I never committed to those sports because it never got me as thrilled as swimming did. I quit ballet in the first week because I was pushed to the ground and ran out of the class, crying. But let's not talk about that anymore. 

Swimming always gave me a sense of freedom. Feeling weightless and knowing that I am the one in control of myself in the water is still amazing to this day. The feeling of knowing that I can do more to improve my times, pushes me to try harder because the only thing that's holding me back is me.

Not only is swimming itself the reason I kept doing it, but the people I swam with made me feel like I was meant to be there. My first friend I made at swim practice was Emily Skilton, now a senior at Morristown High School. A longtime swim-mate and friend. Then I met Annie, my best friend to this day. She's a junior at Morristown High School. Then Grace, Olivia, Bridget... The list goes on of the many teammates I have that are a family to me. We go through thick and thin together. We survive the hard practices that Coach Al gives us, we go to a meet and cheer each other on, and stick with each other through tough injuries. 

Although they are my teammates, we have to swim against each other in a lot of races. Unlike other team sports, like soccer, swimming is extremely competitive and sometimes you have to beat one of your teammates. I don't have any siblings, so these girls are the closest people I have to siblings. The good thing is since we're all so encouraging of one another, we're barely envious and are always happy of each other's accomplishments.

The Swim Family:

Annie: She's like my older sibling. She's always there for every swim and makes practice super fun! I've known her for a while now and she means the world to me.
Sydney: Goes to Pope John. She's incredibly sweet and funny. She's a really good backstroker and I'm sad she's a senior this year because we've only gotten closer in the last couple of months.
Kelly: You'll always see Kelly next to Sydney. She always goes to Pope John, alongside Syndey. She's really fun to hang around with and will always make your day.
Olivia: My fellow butterflyer. She's been through all the rough butterfly practices with me and I couldn't ask for a better butterfly buddy. She always swims the 200 Fly with me during practice and we suffer together.
Grace: Extremely competitive swimmer with a great heart. One of the best swimmers in New Jersey. She's an amazing swimmer to watch.
Emily: She's only 14, but she's going to make it really far in her life. She is the fastest 14-year-old in the state and it is amazing to watch her swim. She really makes it look like an effortless sport.
Mark: He is the type of guy that you can't really hate. He's so kind to everyone and is an amazing swimmer. He does tend to throw up during practice sometimes, but that's okay because you just can't seem to hate him.
Bridget: In the locker room, she always talks about her day. She's a joy to be around with and she can never make you feel bad. She really is there for you whenever you need it. She's a senior this year and it's going to be awful seeing her leave in August.
Coach Al: Truly the best coach in the world. He looks out for everyone on the team, not only because he's the coach, but because he really does care about each and every one of us. I've known him since I was 6. Though he yells a lot during practice, we all still love him and I especially count him in the family. He brings us all together through the love and passion of the sport

You've met my swim family and now you see why I love them so much.