“Watered Sanctuary”, is a sonnet about the most nerve-racking moments in a competitive swimmer’s career. The sonnet focuses on the moments right before the actual race begins and what is seen through my eyes. I tried to incorporate how tense and focused I felt before every single meet I’ve swam in. Swimming is not an easy sport to do; it takes a lot of dedication and most of all perfect practice to be successful. I thought it would be nice to share a moment to those who don’t know what swimming is like.
The setting of “Watered Sanctuary” took place a couple of years ago at an invitational swim meet during the night. An invitational meet is a three day event where swimmers from all over the islands, and sometimes those from the mainland, gather at the pool to compete! The first opening lines, “Under the tent I stand anxious in place…”
takes you to the timer’s tents where the timer’s sit and swimmers wait for their up-coming event. At this moment I prepare by stretching and always putting my goggles on early, just in case I forget. “staring into the blue with goggles on…”
The focus and concentration I have before any race is a strategy I use to help me swim faster. “…all other thoughts gone, other than a wall and distance ahead…” I was taught to visualize the entire race in my head right before I swim; I visualize my plans for how I would swim my race to full potential. Mental preparation is a secondary key to winning a race.
Now I’m standing behind the blocks, not even noticing the pool’s bowels being churned by raging swimmers in the water, loose and very tense at the same time. In the back of my mind, the official’s whistles scream and all noise stops as the swimmers in the heat before end their mad dash for first place. “…snapped into time from what officials said. Adrenaline pumps…” The only sound audible is the constant banging of my heart as adrenaline pours through my body. Once again there is one long yell of the whistle to signal us to get up onto the blocks.
The few seconds on the blocks are like long agonizing minutes in my mind. Now it is completely silent, not one thing was making sound and my heart felt like it stopped. “… took my mark hanging over the edge of the pool’s reach…” Here is where I am bent down gripping the ends of my block and two toes over its edge. The interesting thing about this moment was that it felt like I was hovering over water. I looked up and saw only water and the lights cascading through the dark sky. I could feel the countless glares of faceless people in the dark abyss of stands surrounding the deck. “Unable to see those in the pitch dark…”
For just one moment that could have cost me that race, I began to think of the beach’s wondrous waves wiping the sand. Oh how I wished I could be with friends at the beach instead of at a long three day weekend spent at the pool. “…wishing that I was playing at the beach.” After all the focusing, tension, adrenaline, and most of all, practice, I realized that I didn’t want to be at the beach but here at the pool. “The pool is my sanctuary, my place…” I would not trade any other feeling for what hard work and dedication can do in just a short race.
Though the pool may not be very kind at times, with a little respect and time I grew to enjoy the water soaring behind me as I course through it, the sound of water being shaken by flesh, and the cool feeling against my body. I may not be the fastest or dedicated swimmer, but I take pride in what I do because I enjoy those few milliseconds where I am about to make my dive and everyone’s attention is on me, and I know my friends and family will be there to cheer me on! To me, swimming isn’t just a sport; it’s where I can get away from the rest of the world, and let myself loose in the water with friends at practice or against other people at meets. The pool is my second home and I would not trade it for any other sport. “The pool is my sanctuary, my place…”
