“Take your mark, BEEP!” The sound of the static speaker booms through the excited atmosphere of the University of New Orleans Aquatic Center. The smell of chlorine is embedded in the walls as the stench radiates throughout the building, and the splashing of water is heard over the buzz of the crowd. I weave in and out of the swarm of parents that surround the sides of the pool looking for a spot to sit or a familiar face. Coming from playing softball, the restless water and tight swimsuits are a step outside my realm of sport knowledge. The familiar dirt field and fresh air is replaced with a concrete pool and chlorine soaked towels. The change in scenery leaves me in awe, and I want to soak in all the new details as my appreciation for another sport grows.

The swimmers take their mark as the announcer calls out the girls 200 meter freestyle is about to begin. The starting bell rings, and they are off. The swimmers glide through the water as their arms cut each passing wave. Each participating swimmer needs to be aware of how many laps are left, so there are people stationed at the end of the pool informing the swimmer how many laps remain. The teammate keeping track of the laps excitedly thrusts the number in and out of the water to motivate her teammate to keep pushing herself. A large screen displays the swimmer’s name, time, and finishing rank. The aquatic center is sectioned off in areas for each team that is participating in the meet. The side of the bleachers with the team of the winning swimmer erupts in cheers as the winner makes her way back to the team. As the excitement dies down, another race begins as the process is repeated, but this time with the male swimmers.

I look around as the swimmers not participating in the current race are swimming practice laps in the neighboring pool. Their strokes are more relaxed than the swimmers competing in the adjacent pool. The relaxed swimmers swim back and forth in a nice rhythm as if they were seaweed swaying in the ocean. My mind wonders how these athletes have come to learn the repeated movements of their style of swimming. Aside from the practicing swimmers, the swimmers competing in the upcoming race bring a different mood to the mix. The determination in their eyes is apparent as they glare at their competition. To get their bodies ready for the next couple of rigorous minutes, the swimmers waiting to compete perform rather unique warm up routines. Some swimmers thrash their arms around their body in a straightjacket like hug to loosen their muscles. Others chose the more relaxed method of sitting on the ground and doing light stretching. All in all, the swimmers not competing in the current race still bring an intense aura to add to the overall mood of the whole event.

A mix of emotions rushes over me as I stared open-mouthed at the flurry of events that surrounded me. As I appreciate the new scenery, this strange new sport has found a place in my heart. Before walking in, I had not the slightest idea of what to expect from the swim meet.  By the end of the meet, I left with an appreciation and fondness of a sport I never paid much attention to before.