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WOWSA

11/10/2018

I gave a speech at the WOWSA awards! I was incredible. I had an amazing time!

Here is my speech:
I’m here to tell you why you should never, not even for a second, step into the ocean:

The water is cold

There are sharks
And you could get lost

And that’s what I was thinking when I was 11 years old, nervous for my first Alcatraz swim. When I first went swimming in the bay, let me tell you, it was not a good experience. The water was numbing, I am pretty sure I touched a great white, and I swam the whole way alone, or at least that is what I thought. Honestly, I am not even sure why I continued. But now 4 years later I have fallen in love with open water swimming.

I encountered a culture shock when starting open water swimming, but in a good way. I thought sports equaled competition, but in open water swimming you don’t compete against others, rather you strive to accomplish goals you set for yourself. You meet people who are much older or younger, who have different interests or beliefs, and who you might never meet otherwise. It gives you a broader sense of community, makes you more aware of different perspectives, and shows you that world is bigger than it might seem. For instance Lisa, who is one of my closest friends. We have what you might call an “unconventional” friendship, since Lisa is older than me. At first I considered her a distant grown-up, but after singing “I can’t feel my face” by the Weeknd while we were training in the freezing cold water together, I can’t call her anything but a friend.

A few months ago, I swam from Catalina Island to shore. When I started, the full moon was hidden behind thick clouds which made the surroundings pitch black. I never opened my eyes in the water because I don’t want to see any wildlife, but I broke my own rule and all I saw was blackness with the tiniest sliver of white light on the curve of the horizon. Next to me was a large fishing boat with glow sticks hanging from the rim. On my other side was a kayak decorated with string lights. Even in the darkness, I felt secure knowing that people were watching out for me. In fact, I had a crew of 12, each person had a different job, but everyone’s sole purpose was to safely guide me to the mainland. And as I swam, I was aware of all my senses. It was as if I was gliding through another world. A world contained in a large black marble. It was just me and the water. I was not thinking about the 100 things I had to do, rather I was focused on the one thing: being fully awake and present. The sensation of being in this black marble is one of the many feelings I have experienced while swimming in the ocean. I was truly connected to nature.

Near the end of August I was doing another swim from Aquatic Park to Angel Island, around Angel Island and then back to shore. Everyone told me that it was one of the hardest swims in the SF bay, but as I started the swim, I thought WOW, this is the easiest thing I have ever done. Of course, I had spoken too soon and the Ocean Gods needed to humble me. They pushed waves at my face, gradually decreased the water temperature, and made me swim as if on a treadmill every once in a while. If you have not experienced that before, imagine swimming as hard as you can and not making any forward progress. But eventually, I got through that stretch, and thought it was the end of the struggle. I had reached Alcatraz and since I had swum from the island to shore many times before, the rest was sure to be easy. Unfortunately I was not going anywhere, anytime soon. I was kicking the hardest I had ever kicked. I was putting in so much effort but I was not moving. I was getting a little-pissed off. No, actually I was legitimately pissed off. My crew was on the boat cheering me on while there was nothing to celebrate. Waves were hitting me in my face, going up my nose and down my mouth. I started raging. I WAS NOT MOVING! At times, I was actually moving backward. I started to scream in the water, a bunch of swear words, to say the least. It was the angriest I had ever been in my life. I later found out that I was in the same exact place for over an hour. I can’t even tell you how that feels. To work so hard to not drown, but to still have to find the inner fire to keep swimming. And looking back at that swim, I do remember the pain, but more so, I remember how proud I felt having conquered my desire to quit.

People have all kinds of reasons not go open water swimming. When I first started, I was scared of the cold, worried about sharks, and about getting lost. But a few years later I am so grateful that I chose to stick with it because of all the memories and experiences I have had. Now I have replaced my reasons why not with reasons why to:

You meet all types of wonderful people
You can fully connect with nature
And you can set out to and actually accomplish things you never would have imagined

I have been asked what motivates me to do these long swims, and more than anything it’s the idea of swimming for a purpose larger than myself. Through open water swimming I have been able to help other children accomplish their own dreams. Because of the recognition I have gained from open water swimming, I have been able to raise awareness and money for Children International, which helps children escape the cycle of poverty around the world. By doing what I’m passionate about, I can help others kids pursue their passions.

Everyone should try open water swimming at least once. And it might turn out to be the best thing you ever to do, OR it might not be the thing for you. Whatever you choose, I urge you to try something that scares you a little. Because taking risks can lead to high reward and you never know ... you might surprise yourself.

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