Be aware: This is a work of taboo fantasy and the characters are fictional and are 18 years or older. Please leave a comment if you will. Your opinion is valuable for me to keep going
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Chapter: 1
Go Beyond Plus Ultra
In swim meets, when it comes to competition in open water, the weather is a key factor for the event to take place. Lucky for us, the day is sunny with just a few clouds on sight. At least, that's what I had the time to observe all morning right before I plunged into the cold water of Gull Lake among my competitors at the go-ahead.
Wearing nothing but a swim cap on my head, goggles for my eyes and a Speedo, my shoulders were rolling fast with my hands digging on the surface of the water, while my feet were kicking, following the pace of my arms. There were ten of us in total as we started racing across the lake, freestyle.
If I was honest with myself, I had felt nervous about the championship during the whole trip from Toronto to Gravenhurst. It didn't get any easier while me and the guys were at the campus, practicing our swimming techniques, or tediously waiting for the game to begin. It was like the anxiety was eating me alive in my stomach. However, as soon as I dove into the water from the dock, all the tension on my nerves and all the bad thoughts miraculously disappeared. The cool water simply washed it all away, rushing all over me, as I pushed my way ahead of the swimmers that I managed to outpace.
At this very moment, all of the training and all of the hard work I dedicated myself to earn my place in the competition, suddenly kicked in. It was such a boost for my confidence that all my fears and doubts became nothing but water under the bridge. Just like I practiced so many, many times, I maintained control over my breathing and stayed as flat on the surface as possible, catching and pulling the water as if my hands had transformed into paddle blades. In my mind, the race and the huge lake turned into my whole world.
Through my goggles, I quickly noticed after a few glimpses out of the water that four of my nine competitors were already ahead of me, not good. If I were to let them go too far, I might never catch up in time. So I accelerated the pace by swiftly moving my four limbs collectively, using flexibility and precision to propel myself forward and maximize the momentum I kept on building up.
On water, or on solid ground, racing isn't just about speed or endurance; it's also about strategy. Like coach Bishop taught us, well-planned pacing and tactical decisions can make a substantial difference. And proper pacing ensures that I use my energy efficiently throughout a race.
"Don't burn yourself out too early," he said to me earlier this morning, one on one, in the changing room. "Settle into an even pace at seventy percent of your max speed. Save the rest for the end. You don't win in swim meets with just your body. It's a mental battle in which you got to keep your head in the game. So I want you to think like a winner. Why? Because I know you're gonna do great today. Once you hit the water, find the guy in front of you and speed up for a few seconds to pass him. Then find your pace again. You're gonna take them out one at a time. When your body tells you that you can't do it and you should quit, don't you dare listen to it. Just keep moving like I know you can, and focus on what you do best, you hear me?"
Remembering the words of my coach by heart, my movements quickened as I persevered in boosting myself onward, paddling and kicking like a well-oiled machine. And with laser-fixed concentration, I managed to swim past the nearest guy before I decelerated to a degree to remain in fourth place in the race. A minute later, or so, conserving my energy, I pushed through again to get ahead of not one, but two other competitors in one fell swoop. It took me a moment to realize thus far that I had come in second place behind the guy in the lead, just a few strokes ahead of me.
By his bulk alone, I immediately knew who he was. Andrew Pearson, the 'mister big shot' of one of Seaside High's biggest rivals. He was the one who won last year's championship and the year before that. The guy was like a sea train in "One Piece," paddling and pushing his way through, as if the density of the water couldn't slow him down.
No matter, he may be bigger and stronger than me, but that doesn't mean I can't beat him. And so as we were already halfway across the lake, I sped up just enough to keep up with Andrew, but not too much so as not to tire myself out to death. For now, I must be patient and wait for the right moment. Just keep it up. Just catch the water, pull yourself forward, finish each move efficiently to propel yourself and recover to do it all over again. Catch, pull, finish and recover. Catch, pull, finish and recover.
I couldn't know for sure how long I'd been at it, but as soon as I saw the blue, inflatable arch of the finish line a fair distance ahead of us, I knew then that my time was near. So I started to increase my speed at eighty percent in order to catch up with my formidable competitor, one inch at a time. At that very moment, something snapped. All of a sudden, every last thought irrelevant to what was happening now simply vanished. In my mind, there was no past or future, only the present, the here and now. Progressively, my body began to move as if it perfectly knew what it had to do.
"You boys are still thinking to move instead of just moving," coach Bishop lectured us a while ago, during my early days with the White Makos. "Especially you, Throndsen. Your brain can only send messages through your nervous systems so fast. So the more you overthink, the more you limit yourself when it's time to act. The moment you take the plunge, let go of every piece of useless crap that's in your head. You hit the water; the water becomes your whole world, your whole life. If you want to win, think of the reason why you want to win so badly and one thing only."
That's right, I want to win. Why? Not because I wanna be the best, not because it would help me a lot for my scholarship in college, and not even because of my dream of joining the Olympics. The main reason why is because my mom is waiting for me on the other side. It was thanks to her and her unyielding support and unconditional love that I had made it this far. I won't be content in finishing in second place. I won't be told that I merely did my best. I will be first, I will make her proud. Because I'm the man she deserves!
Therefore, in my newfound determination, I didn't need any convincing to feel that I had just entered the flow, a state of mind that instantly made my movements more energetic and my focus sharper than ever. It was as if I got injected with adrenaline, as my four limbs were independently moving faster with little to no thoughts at all. I barely needed to assess anything to know then and there that I was right now a meter away from Andrew, still at the top of his game. Plus, the bloated arch of the finish line was less than half a yard away, judging how it was growing in size with each stroke that we made.
It was settled. If I was going to out maneuver him, it had to be now no matter what the cost. And so as I began to breathe in more air to supply my lungs at work, I picked up the pace closer and closer to one hundred percent, even though my muscles were burning hot as I was aiming to overcome my limits. If my feet were kicking almost as fast as the impeller of a jet ski in full speed, my arms might as well be like the rotating drive rods of a locomotive. In this moment, I felt as if I just ran into a Super Star in "Mario Kart" without the theme playing in my ears.
I was doing it! No, I already did it! I actually managed to outpace Andrew who never saw me coming. I can do it. I can win this. Gotta move faster, though, I can't give him any chance to catch up. Yet, he didn't waste any time to do just that, swimming rigorously on my right side. The finish line wasn't so far now. The competition felt more real than anything else, as we kept on swimming like hell as if we had hungry sharks on our tails.
Andrew, however, surprised me yet again by going ahead even faster than I could have anticipated. Looks like the big guy still had some juice left in him, which appeared to be enough to cast me in second place... again. No, I won't let this end here, not in a long shot. I gotta keep my eyes fixed on my chance of victory, no matter how slim. I won't stop fighting until I win first place in this FUCKING RACE!
