The morning air is damp. All of the “big” people are meandering around the premises. The nervous feeling in my stomach told me that world is large. The sound of waves continuously slapping the wall seems to be everywhere. With a racing mind, I did not want to look at anyone in the face for the fear that they will speak to me. I am scared to ask questions because people may think that I am ignorant for not knowing. A cold breeze blows across the swimming pool, giving me goose-bumps.

That morning, after I put on my skimpy blue “Speedo” swim trunk, Mother wrapped my brother and I in sweat suits, then covered our shoulders with beach towels; she sent us out the door as we whimpered; by that time, I was all cried out. "Get used to it... You'll be doing this every morning for the rest of the summer." she exclaimed unemotionally. Today is my first day on the Lucas Valley Swim Team and, little did I know, mother was conditioning us, helping us to learn to adapt to new situations more easily; being 5 years old, I felt vulnerable.

Later that morning, while I was standing alone in a group of older adults, I shivered from the cold. And, I was more nervous than I can ever remember being. Mike, our coach, wasted few words and set the tone for practice, exclaiming "Jump in, and start your warm-up laps". The water was as cold as the coach was impersonal and, the practice didn't get easier.

That first day was tiring mentally, as well as is was a physical challenge. It has helped me to face unwelcoming people and situations. I can now thank my mother for "cruelly" sending me off into the cold world of my community as a youngster. Now I am more confident in new circumstances, convinced that unwelcoming individuals do not bite.

With radiant blonde hair (due to the chlorinated pool) and sun-tanned shoulders. Being that my parents thought that the neighborhood was safe, my parents allowed me to ride my Schwinn “Scrambler” bicycle to the Lucas Valley Community Center. I would ride to swimming practice each morning (wearing sweatpants and my blue “Speedo” swimsuit and, grew to be friends with other residents, as I became more involved in the community.

Mother and Father invested in two blue Schwinn “Scrambler” dirt-bikes for my brother and I to have sufficient transportation in the community. When I was seven years old, they allowed me to ride my bicycle to the Lucas Valley Community Center, to swim and meet neighbors and other residents. As a competitor in training, with ongoing practice, being recognized for my athletic accomplishments, I ignited friendships with my team-mates and a variety of Lucas Valley youths and families.

As the swim season wore on, and morning practice became part of my regular schedule, I opened up to the people around me. The other swimmers that I saw each day gradually became friends and, I discovered that holding an awkward conversation with a stranger was not as awkward as not speaking to others at all. Growing up with bleached blonde hair (due to the sun and chlorine from the swimming pool) I was sun-tanned and trim. Grew to be an ambitious talented athlete, determined to accomplish.

My determined Mother was mentally driven to raise an “Achiever”; as a young athletic child growing up in the north Bay Area, with enticing vigor, I was eager to challenge my skills, as a competitive athlete. With ongoing practices, I began to ignite friendships with a variety of Lucas Valley youths and families. On my dirt-bike, I could take a daily “commute” to my Kindergarten and to the Lucas Valley Community Center for swimming practice and, “cruise” around the community more easily. With no air conditioning in our household, as a young child living a few miles north or the “Golden Gate Bridge”, the warm summers promoted my love for the outdoors and, enjoyed swimming every day, wallowing in the warm California summer breeze of the “Golden State”.

Curled up in my towel, wearing a skimpy “Speedo” racing swimsuit, tinted goggles, a skimpy Lycra blue “Speedo” racing swim suit and a silicone swimming cap, that covered and condensed my bushy hair curls. As a tanned limber athletic eight year old boy, I was engrossed by the swarms of people around me, at the “Indian Valley Campus” of the College Of Marin; there, the Olympic sized swimming pool hosted the Marin County “Swim League” Championship competition.

The individual medley events can be some of the most exciting races. With every stroke change, there is the potential for the shape of the race to drastically change. All of a swimmer’s strengths and weaknesses are on display, and this opens a variety of possibilities for how a race can go.

Perched on the “Starting Block” for the “Individual Medley” race (swimming butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle), in the Marin County Swim League “Championship Meet”, I clenched my shoulders and the tingling feeling of the cool breeze that blew over my moist skin, giving me “goose-bumps”. My adrenaline was pumping, as I clenched my shoulders and the tingling feeling of the cool breeze that blew over my moist skin. Eagerly, I felt the blood pump though my brawny shoulders as I built a psych to strive and, challenge my agile limber body.

When the starting “starting shot” was fired, I gracefully dove from the “Starting Blocks” into the water. With dynamic agility, I churned the water with stamina and endurance, with a “drive” to excel at my highest capacity, determined to accomplish.

After swimming 25 yards of “butterfly”, grasping the water with both hands simultaneously and kicking like a dolphin, with power and grace, I advanced towards the end of the pool. Shortly thereafter, I was told that was awarded a Marin County Swim League “Championship” record.

by Toby Daniels