Cynthia, a current Junior on Varsity, states, “If you ask me now, I’ll say it’s the experience swimming taught me, the hard work I put in, my desire for getting personal best over and over again, that made me love swimming… Swimming to me is not just a hobby, it’s a part of me now.” At just the age of four, swimming, for Cynthia, changed from just a hobby into a sport that saved her life.
While most kids at age four were learning how to draw, sing, and play sports, Cynthia was fighting for her life. “[A]n unexpected cold almost killed me; later, I got pneumonia. My mother took care of me day and night, and had to work at the same time. Going to hospitals one after another, getting injections, and taking medicine made [her] feel very distressed and anxious,” stated Cynthia. The constant move from hospital to hospital and the ongoing receivement of treatment took a tremendous toll on Cynthia and her family, both physically and mentally. A simple cold soon had taken over her body and life. In order to build up her immune system and strength within her body, Cynthia’s mother enrolled her in swimming.
“Why do you want to swim?” was a question that Cynthia asks herself often. While in past years, she has been conflicted with how the program FAST (Fullerton Aquatics Swim Team) was rigorous, and how she felt she was always put in the position of being the underdog . “Watching my friends—and even younger swimmers—start to pass me made me feel anxious and insecure. I started questioning everything: Did I really work hard enough? Do I have a bad technique? Do I need to build more muscle? Am I just… not talented? ” (Cynthia Lan 11). But as time passed her perspective shifted, with her focusing more on the process and her passion. “ This sport teaches you how to accept failures, keep pushing through doubt, and find your own strength in persistence.”
Like many other high school athletes, training is rigorous and intense in order to have a successful outcome. Cynthia describes that her practice sets focus on different aspects of swimming such as endurance (long distance) and sprints (fast short distance and test sets). Based on calculations, the amount of yards she swims per practice ranges from 6000 to 8000 yards.
Cynthia’s typical training schedule includes attending club practice from Monday through Friday from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM, and Saturday mornings from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM. While this is “indeed a big time commitment”, instead of seeing it as a waste of time the practice instead helps her stay mentally healthy and focused. However, swimming hasn’t just benefited her physically and mentally but also academically she states, “because I have shorter time to spend on my homework, I gradually learned how to prioritize what matters most and how to balance everything on my plate.”
After three years of competitive swimming in FAST and 12 years of learning how to swim, swimming has shifted Cynthia’s mindset toward her view on success and her goals. With her focusing more on giving her personal best, “But as I’ve grown, success means giving it everything I’ve got, keeping a positive mindset, and walking away knowing I put in my best effort.” Additionally, over the years she has learned that to be successful, you must learn to trust your body, be consistent in your training, and pay attention to the little things outside of the pool such as: nutrition, sleep, and recovery.
Throughout her swimming journey, a person that Cynthia looks up to as inspiration is her mom. “She doesn’t just tell me how to be committed or disciplined—She leads by example. About two years ago, she started training for running…no excuses, no skipping days. I don’t think she expected that two years later she’d run her first full marathon. Watching her chasing her goals and pushing through challenges has motivated me more than any pep talk ever could. And her dedication carried me in every practice and every race.” (Cynthia 11).
Her current goal, like many other athletes, is to balance school and swim. A high school goal that she is trying to beat is the school 100-meter breaststroke record. The current holder is Emma Davidson with a time of 1:03.59. “My time right now is 1:12.98. Hopefully I will break it before I graduate. So stay tuned guys.” To the readers, Cynthia expresses “Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. Focus on your progress and celebrate the small wins, .” (Cynthia Lan 11).
