Long Run (ANN the Swimmer) - February 28, 2014

Note: This may be the one and only time I highlight someone that is not a runner. The following is an essay I wrote for an assignment in my BYU-I English class. 

Ann the Swimmer

Ann is a young woman from my ward and an exemplary member of my Church.  I spoke to her recently about her love affair with swimming. I began our conversation by asking her why she joined the swim team at her highschool, because for the life of me I could not figure out why anyone would want to be a swimmer. She told me she was looking for something challenging to do and a friend of hers had asked if she would be interested in joining the team. With only days before the season started Ann agreed and informed her family she was going to be on the swim team—no questions asked. She was going to do something hard that turned out to be an inspirational experience.

Ann has a sweet face, fair skin, and bright blue eyes.  Most notably, she has a head full of thick long locks of golden curly hair, worn in a way that frames her youthful and shy smile. She has powerful shoulders, a curvy feminine figure, and legs that resemble a soccer player. She comes from a proud Norwegian heritage combined with Scottish and Irish roots. She’s an athlete and loves the physicality of her sport, but doesn’t look like what you would expect a swimmer to look like. I asked her if that ever presented a problem for her and she said, of course it did. “For the first few days I wore shorts and a t-shirt over my bathing suit.” she went on to say, “That only slowed me down.” Ann told me she had to get over her insecurities if she was going to excel as a swimmer.

Ann’s mom told me how impressed she was by the swim coach. “He was so good at recognizing what each swimmer was good at and bringing the best out of each of them,” she said. She worried about her daughter and exclaimed, “As a plus size girl you would never catch me standing in front of the school in nothing but a swimsuit!” But that was one of the things that impressed her most about Ann and the entire experience. She said that everyone, the athletes, coaches, and even the other parents were all so supportive of each other and the kids on the teams. There was no mocking or making fun of each other. Everyone recognized the difficulty and technicality of the sport. “What’s harder, standing in front of your peers in a swimsuit or finishing a race?” I asked, already knowing the answer. Ann replied with a smile, “Finishing the race was definitely harder.”

Spending five to six days a week for several hours at a time in the water was certainly trying, but that is one of the things Ann likes most about her sport. She enjoys the feeling of being wiped out at the end of her training sessions. She enjoys pushing herself to new limits both physically, mentally, and even spiritually. In a recent sacrament talk, Ann shared a story that involved her leaping off of the diving blocks at the shallow end of a competing school’s pool, only to slam into the bottom of it face first. When she resurfaced, she proceeded to finish the race and get out of the water where her teammates pointed out just how bad she had injured herself. She was concussed and bleeding from her face and shoulder. She explained she felt it was important to finish what she started, and while she didn’t come in first, she did what she set out to do. She related this to the gospel and how life is not always peaches and cream. However, according to religious teachings she and I share, we made a commitment before we came to the earth to return to our Father in Heaven and that is what she intends to do.

Not every girl has the kind of confidence that Ann does. A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders found that of 185 female college students, 58% felt pressure to be a certain weight, and out of 83% that dieted for weight loss, 44% were of normal weight. This is systemic of body image issues that start at a very early age. The NYC Girls Project says that over 80% of 10-year-old girls are afraid of being fat and by the age of twelve are dissatisfied with at least two of their body parts. The number of women that are unhappy with the way they look is overwhelming. It was most alarming at what age these body image issues start occurring, but Ann has proven to so many that it doesn’t matter what you look like. “You don’t have to be the fastest or skinniest to finish the race, you just have to give it your all.

Swimming may never be the sport of my choice, and I may never understand the struggles a young woman goes through as she works on becoming comfortable in her own skin. But, I can understand what it is like to overcome challenges in this life. I can relate to the struggles of doing hard things. I know what it feels like to want to give up. I also know what victory feels like. Ann is a champion in more ways than one. Her ability to power through tough circumstances is astonishing. Her ability to let go of her insecurities is inspiring. Her mom told me Ann showed her entire family that you can do hard things. She said, while each of her children is different, they are all the same in that they can do hard things, too. Ann has shown them what hard work and determination looks like and what a winner looks like, as well.

Ann is no longer swimming, as she has taken some time off to peruse academic challenges–including  several advance placement courses. When I set out to interview Ann, I thought I was going to hear more about the ins and outs of swimming, instead I learned the challenges we face are not always the ones we imagine. Ann’s challenge wasn’t just the physicality of the sport; it also included developing the self-confidence needed to achieve the goals she desired most. Knowing we can all do hard things is an important lesson that will manifest itself to us in many ways. The lessons we learn while we are young are the ones that carry us through when we are old. Ann’s example is one that will take her far and continue to inspire the people around her, swimmers and non-swimmers alike.