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Hey!!
I just came back from Greece and it was amazing! I didn't know I could laugh that much during a swim meet! Out of my four swims I earned three silvers and one gold, but more importantly I had so much fun with my teammates
So let's start from the beginning...
I left home with a 7 a.m. flight Wednesday morning, landed in Chicago, flew to Germany, and then ended up in Athens. Our team landed on Thursday in the afternoon and I traveled for almost 24 hours. I was really tired and jet lagged!
After we landed and got our luggage, we drove straight to the pool for a practice. I was so tired since I'm not use to sleeping in a sitting position on a plane and I was certainly stiff from sitting for hours. The Olympic Complex was amazing! The water looked so clear and the view was incredible! That day we swam in one of the outdoor warm up pools. It was so hot which made swimming even more refreshing after a long traveling trip.
That night during our team meeting the coaches had us vote for a captain and I was nominated! It was pretty cool, I got to choose what clothes we were wearing each day...
The meet started on Friday except the meet only had timed finals, not prelims and finals. The meet was held in the 2004 Paralympic Pool which was also the 2004 Synchronized Swimming Pool. The venue was gorgeous and nothing short of what I had imaged or have perviously seen online. There's nothing like actually being in the same place where your role models have swum. They complex was getting ready to host the 2011 Worlds for Special Olympics so there were banners hanging throughout the pool. The Iraq Team sat next to us on deck and Brazil had brought a team also. Other than that it was mostly Greeks since it was their championships and a few other countries who had brought a swimmer or two like South Africa and Japan. It seemed like it was going to be a pretty relaxed meet and also a ton of fun!
That morning was the 50 free for all classes. I was the first person on our team to compete in the 04 Paralympic Pool (which is so amazing) and I certainly felt the adrenaline running through me when I saw my whole heat filled with other S4 swimmers. Out of all the physically challenged meets I've swum, I've never competed with so many swimmers in the same functionality class. Then, before I'm about to go up to the block, my coach Joan tells me that the 'take your mark' will be said in Greek and to just hear for the beep. I was use to hearing 'take your mark' in Spanish when I swam in Colombia, so hearing it in Greek didn't phase me. That race felt very smooth and fast, but it wasn't a best time. I wasn't upset though, since I got the first medal for the U.S., a silver! I warmed down and then went to the victor's ceremony where I was talking to the Brazilian swimmer who out beat me in Spanish; little did I know they mostly speak Portugese and not Spanish, but she was nice about it.
All eight of us placed first or second that morning and that kept on going throughout the rest of the meet.
Friday night were all the distance events. I swam the 200 free and earned a gold. Distance isn't my best event, but it had felt good to race in a fast pool. Not too many Greek athletes showed up for the distance events that night so it was mostly just my teammates, Iraq, and Brazil.
Saturday morning was the 100 free and that's when I certainly started to feel the jet lag set in! I felt so dizzy and tired that the assistant coach hypenetized me to go to sleep before warm ups on deck! I did feel more energized and the race felt good! I earned another silver for the team also! I wasn't upset as I probably would be at home with my races because I was subjecting my body to perform its best while being jet lagged. With Muscular Dystrophy, you don't recover as quickly or as efficient sometimes and I was doing the best I could with my body. I obviously care about myself, but I wasn't going to let my decent swims ruin my time with my teammates in Greece.
That night when we were back at the pool, I got interviewed for a Greek documentary called 6th Sense. The reporter mostly asked about the U.S. Team and why we chose to compete in the Greek Open. I felt very honored to speak for my teammates and represent my country on Greek Television. That was really cool!
Sunday morning came around with the last session of the meet. We arrived at the Complex an hour before warm ups with plenty of time to spair. I asked the assistant coach, Dave, if it'd be okay to go down and see the 2004 Olympic Pool since we had enough time. Throughout the meet, we couldn't swim or see the Olympic Pool since there was a flight of stairs and it'd be closed or used when the meet was going on. Dave carried me downstairs and through the tunnel to the pool. It was so amazingly beautiful!!! The only thing I could tell myself was, "Oh my God this is SO COOL!" I sat at the edge of the pool with my teammate, Taylor, and since the pool was closed we were just splashing eachother; we wanted to swim in it SO badly that it almost felt like a tease, but it was still amazing!! I was imagining some of the races at that pool; watching them on youtube or on t.v. cannot compare to being their in person! I took a ton of pictures on my Blackberry and took video just so I'll never ever forget that experience! I still can't believe I was there and still get shivers just thinking about that experience!
My last race was the 50 Back, my best event. I had prepared for this race by practicing a new start at home and felt confident in my last swim. I had a good start and my arms felt good too, but my feet were turning almost purple when I was waiting for my race, so that was no surprise to me when I couldn't feel my legs in the water. I came in second was overall happy with my race since I did the best I could with what I had at the time.
For the rest of the meet I traded gear with other countries. I got some Iraq pins, a Brazil key chain, and a Greek swim cap. I was having so much fun with my teammates on deck after all my swims were over that I didn't want it to end.
After the meet was over, we all went in the Plaka and shopped. Then, we went to a tavern and had our last team dinner together. We had a team meeting in the coaches' hotel room and talked about what we learned and took a team picture with our medals. I packed my bags that night and met my parents down in the lobby since we were vacationing in Athens that week. I said good bye to my teammates and coaches and left with my teammate, Taylor and her family to the other hotel.
And you'd think we'd have enough of swimming, but Taylor and I went to the pool which was ontop of the roof over looking the Acropolis that night; that was so much fun!
For the rest of that week, we toured three different islands, Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. We took a fairy ride and by the end of that day we were so tired; it started to get really hot and humid that I got heat exhaustion. My sister and I shopped a lot and I still don't know how we took it all back home in our suitcases! Then, later that week we went to see the Temple of Poseidon and then the Oracles in Delphi. My favorite part though was going up to see the Acropolis. My family did it on our last day and I was actually pretty scared because the elevator to go up is only held by two wires that carry you up the side of the Acropolis. I was seriously having second thoughts! It was safe though, the tour guide came with my dad and I into the elevator shaft and he was really funny so it eased the tension. After successfully making it to the top (thankfully) we walked around and marveled at the Parthenon. That was amazing! There were a lot of people, but we were able to see the Greek flag, Parthenon, and the other ancient buildings.
My family and I few back the next morning on a straight ten hour flight to JFK. It was a good time to catch up on all the latest movies and to sleep.
I just kept thinking how amazing my trip was. I never would have thought that I'd first be swimming in the 2004 Olympic Complex that I've always admired, second, making friends with the swimmers on the Iraq team, and third being ontop of the Acropolis. I still get chills thinking that I was actually there since it almost seems surreal sometimes, but it's starting to sink in. I guess I just keep surprising myself on what I can do. I've never would have thought I'd be where I am right now, and in all honesty, I'm excited to see what else will surprise me in the future. Slowly but surely my dreams are coming true and I'm so, so grateful and happy. And my friends, family, and coaches also have everything to do with it too; I won't be the person and athlete I am today without them.
I've been home for about two weeks and after getting over jet lag and a cold I caught on the flight, I'm back to swimming as usual. I've also been spending time with friends and just relaxing before I have to go back to school. My summer's pretty much low key and I'm excited just to spend time at home to be fully honest. There's no major Paralympic meet until April so I have a long time to work which is good.
Happy Summer!
Kristin
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