Finishing Strong: The Power of ‘Last One, Fast One’
Every swimmer knows the popular phrase, “Last One, Fast One.” You can hear it echoing across the pool at the end of the main set at any practice. It helps swimmers rally for the final session of multi-day meets. For all of us, “Last One, Fast One,” means it is time to leave it all out there for this final repetition, session or meet of the season. Somehow, this provides us the power to dig just a little deeper than we thought possible, and finishing strong.
The beginning of September has brought about the start of the 2024-2025 collegiate swimming and diving season. Schools across the country have embarked upon this journey. As a college senior, this marks the beginning of the end of my swimming career. My college team has a clock that counts down the days, hours, and seconds until the NCAA Division III Championships in March, 2025. This year, the saying is a reminder of how the pages of this chapter of my life are inching closer to the end of the book every day.
Even though my season has only just begun, it has already given a new meaning to the phrase, “Last One, Fast One,” adding a sense of urgency to every practice. Every time I catch myself wanting to slack off or losing focus, I tell myself this is the last time I get to do this. This is the last time I will ever have the opportunity to push myself past my limits at practices, and with this group of talented people.
Every day that goes by means there is one less opportunity to do what I love in its current form. This is it. Every day is “Last One, Fast One.” There is no reason to hold back on anything. Take that scary set head on. Say goodbye to the negative beliefs, and bad habits that have always held me back. I will focus on what I can control and spend more time thriving at practice and less time just surviving.
At the end of the day, I will not waste a single opportunity to work toward my goals, and approach each practice with the “Last One, Fast One” mentality. When March rolls around, and I stand behind the blocks for my last race ever, I will be completely prepared. When I get out of the water when it is all over, I will be content. I will have done everything I could, and squeezed every last drop out of this experience.
The water in high school pools everywhere is rippling with seniors putting in those last yards, heads down focusing on their last push to the wall. The push that brings them to the next chapter. Some will be finished once they touch for the last time and others will continue on, jumping into fresh waters with the same echo. They will forge ahead the next four years, supporting their college teammates, creating memories and leaving their mark in a pool they call home.
It’s time: “Last One, Fast One.”