Until we get more stories here's one of my own. STORIES: For all you swimmers out there here's a story for you! This summer I did alot of stuff! But the most memorable activity was the third swim meet of the season, The first meet the Rally Sport Manta Rays have ever won!... 6:00 A.M. "Wake up! Wake up! We have to go in less than a half hour! Wake UP!" 6 in the morning? That could only one person... my mom waking me up, for the third swim meet of the summer. "Ohoo!" i groaned. She stripped the covers of my bed. My room was freezing! She left the room in a hurry. 2 minutes later I came downstairs in my bathing suit and jeans. I yawned, as my mom handed me a bowl of Cheerios. "Eat up!" "Then put both pairs of goggles in your swim bag-" " I know I know" I cut her off. I ate quickly, ran upstairs,grabbed my goggles and swim bag out of my room, and dropped them in the bag as I raced down stairs. I brushed my teeth, and slipped on my green sandles sitting by the front door. For 5 seconds I stoped to catch my breath. I suddeny realized how tired I was! But I couldn't stop now! I had to be at Rally Sport by 7:10! I stumbled quitely down the stairs. Then I heard the car start. I jogged to the car hopeing to save some of my breath and energy for swimming. I held on to the outside of the car and swung myself into the backseat. I shut the door, and the tan saturn backed backed out of the garage. I rested as much as I could but my mom wanted me to drink some water. So there we are at Rally Sport. I found a place for me to sit. I dropped over my stuff and walked over to the pool for my warm up. Taylor Frankel was there, my best friend on the swim team. We did our warm up together as the sun rose slowley over the horizen. About ten minutes later it was time for the first race agains Burst. I was in a relay, swimming butterfly. The back stroker dropped nto the water with a big splash, and swam back to the bars where she would be in her starting position, and put a death grip on them... she was ready. The announcer said, " Take your mark..." the girls pulled hemselves up even with the bars. I could now see their toes curled up around the side of the pool. Then-"Beeeep!" The horn sounded and they where of! Explosions of water came came from all 7 lanes. The excitement grew as girls one by one turned over and fliped of the other side of the pool. More cheering. Our team was now in second place. The breast strokers where now on the blocks in tight psition. Her muscles tense. Ready- waiting. Any moment now... SMACK! Her hand hit the wall, and the other girl dove off the blocks in a tight position. She moved quickly in the water, and soon up gasping for breath, and doing the breast stroke frantically. O thought mabye somthing was wrong.. or mabye that was her way of doing things. I would have to do my job and not worry about her. If we where going to win this race wehad to concentrate. I climbed steadily to the platform, determine to beat my score from my last race in the Butterfly. The girl's hand hit the wall and before I knew it- beforeI even thought about it, I was diving off the block, in a streamline psition into the cool clear water. I stayed under water for what seamed like forever, fighting against my breath, my legs moving swiftly through the water. Propelling me forward. My lungs where burning now. I started swimming upward, thinking about how I was going to do my best. Then I felt my head break the surface. A cool breaze brushed my neck. Next i said to myself, "Pull up and around, pull up, and around." I pulled up out and over the water. I did this over and over untill I came to the wall. I took a deap breath, and using my arms to propell me, did a flip-turn of the wall and started to push back over. OUCH! I got water up my nose. It was a hard swim back, but I kept our team in 2 place. Both hands slaped the wall for qualification, and Megan, one of my friends, dove off the blocks to do freesyle. I was so tired- I had to gt pulled out of the water by the qualifier. My legs felt like jello and the rest of my body ached. I walked slowley over to my blanket and stuff and dropped. Ten minutes later I ended up walking back to the haeting tent for the 50 back. I went over by the blocks. I heard the announcer's voice," Back strokers in the water." I splashed in and swam back to the bars and pulled up. I curled me toes over the edge for good take off... "Beeeeep!" I pushed back in streamline and found myself gliding under-water. I soon came up for air though. My arms where moving faster than ever. My legs kicking behing, forcing me to reach furhtre forward. Judy, Taylor's mom was leaning over the caution tape moving her hands in a kicking motion. Now I could only hear and see splashes aroud me. I reached on knowing soon I would see the flags and flip over for the flp turn. Yas! there they were! I turned over and fliped. I got a sensational feeling, seeing the bubbles all around me, rising up my back. I felt that I was going to have a great swim back. I was right! My hand hit the wall. I finished STRONG ! I onley had one event to go, wich was about an hour away. But Megan and I couldn't refuse an offer for lunch when my mom suggested it. We sat on towels by the kiddie pool, eating hot dogs and Freetos. It was good but our relay was onley 2 events away! We walked briskly over to the heating tent, talking about what we where going to do after the meet. Over in the heating tent we found out that we where leading 435 to 374. Now it was time for the relay. It was a freestyle relay. We where all swimming freestyle. I was third in line and couldn't wait to get in the water! I was up on the blocks now. The girls hand was inches away from the wall! 5,4,3,2... I took off just when her hand hit the wall. Bubbles zooming past my face. I came up for air. "PULL PULL PULL!" I told myself. I made it back in 3rd place. I stayed around for ribbons and to find out if we won, and we did WIN! It was verey exciting! We got to dunk our coach! -Brittany Adams