By Meaghan Raab, Swimming World Intern.
Swimming is just a sport to watch during the Olympics to some people, for others it’s an alternative form of exercise to running. To me, it’s second nature and a way of life.
My mom was a collegiate swimmer at Stanford when they won the National Championship in 1989. So, naturally, I was put on a summer league swim team when I was 6 years old.
In my first race as a Hummelstown Flamingo, I was disqualified for a false start. One of my teammates dove in before the starter and I followed suit. I swam a 25 and when I reached the other end, the timers told me that I had to swim the race again. Instead of swimming the 25 over, I cried and said that I wasn’t going to do it again. But that wasn’t the only thing that went wrong at my first swim meet.
I did not know until recently that I had cried for a different reason. My mom told me another story. In practices, I had become a pretty good swimmer, but I had always swum in an outside lane with the wall nearby. In the meet, I was supposed to swim in the middle of the pool. I cried because I was going to have to swim without the wall next to me. Despite the minor traumas, I made it through the meet in one piece.
The next chapters of my swimming career were not nearly as traumatizing as that first meet. I competed in several states over the next couple of years at Junior Olympics and other championship meets.
I was in eighth grade when I competed at the national level for the first time. Junior Nationals in 2009 were at Ohio State, and – ironically enough – that is the same pool where I finished out my collegiate career.
I was one of the few girls on my club team to make Junior Nationals during my time swimming on that team. I was fortunate enough to qualify for five short course Junior Nationals, three long course Junior Nationals, one long course Nationals and Olympic Trials before I graduated high school.
I am a goal-oriented person and I have achieved many goals throughout my career. The ones that I didn’t reach taught me just as much, if not more, than the ones that I achieved. This mentality served me well throughout my swimming career. It is also a big reason why I am not ready to close the door on this part of my life.
I had the incredible opportunity to belong to four great teams during my time at the University of Georgia, including an SEC Championship team and a National Championship team. But my story isn’t over yet.
Last summer I was named to the US National Team. It was the first time I ever made a team. I never made the National Junior Team or represented the US at a meet, but I didn’t give up on trying. My journey to where I am now has been anything but easy. There were many injuries out of my control and many bad swims that I wish I could change.
Now that I have completed my collegiate career, I am finishing my degree in Journalism with an emphasis in sports and sports media. I am going to continue swimming until 2020 with one goal in mind: make finals at Olympic Trials.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Love your spirit and gutsy passion ! Mega-kudos for being a true-seeker and warrior. Love too…your levity plus energy-imbued..candor!
Meghan,
This is a wonderful article. It is interesting to see exactly why you had the initial reaction at that first meet, which you had. That was your first step to becoming the hard working, successful swimmer you are today. So glad we folks in this area had a chance to watch you on your journey. I wish you all the best on the remainder of your journey, and look forward to watching you grow even more. Say hi to family.
Thank You
Becky “Mama” Holey