I feel myself push and push and push

My hands glide through the water

Creating a current to push me forward

I’m slowly losing energy

Each lap becomes tougher and tougher

While my head turns to catch a breath of fresh air

I hear “Go Janelle, Go Janelle!”

My coach cheering me on

He knows I am able to complete my last two laps

I feel like giving up

Then I hear my peers cheering me on

“Go Janelle, Go Janelle!”

They all believe in me but do I believe in myself?

I take a big breath and tell myself

"I will finish this and it will feel amazing once I am done"

One lap down and one more to go

The last lap always feels exhausting

“Let’s end this with a BANG”

I glide through the water with full force

Motivation runs through my veins

I hear my peers and coach continue to cheer me on

I wanted to give up so bad

How can I give up when I am almost there?

I approach the end of the pool

Everyone is cheering and applauding me

“I did it, I actually did it!”

I am so glad I did not give up on myself