You by no means know the place childhood swim classes might lead. That’s precisely how the journey started for Olympian and world champion swimmer, Kristy Kowal. From the second she first touched the water at 9 months previous, she fell in love with being within the pool. Whereas her swim journey began with mommy and me courses, it led to so far more. Swim courses grew into a lifetime of classes discovered and targets achieved, and people first unassuming swim classes sparked the lifetime of a champion—a journey marked by trials, disappointments, perseverance and desires coming true.
Kristy’s mother wasn’t the strongest swimmer, so it turned her aim to guarantee her youngsters had been all the time protected and assured round water. Her son and daughter fell in love with swimming and shortly their summers revolved across the pool. They had been there the minute it opened and splashed till it closed.
One summer time once they returned house from the pool, the Olympics had been on tv, and 8-year-old Kristy Kowal found a dream. After her first glimpse of Olympic glory and watching her future heroes compete on the world’s stage, Kristy determined then and there that she, too, would develop into an Olympian. Nonetheless, she rapidly discovered that the street to glory and targets was stuffed with exhausting work, pace bumps, twists and turns.
THE EARLY YEARS
Dedication to develop into an Olympian was the simple half. Placing in exhausting work and dealing with challenges got here subsequent. Kristy stunned everybody together with her grandiose targets at simply 8 years previous, particularly as a result of she was neither the quickest nor the strongest swimmer. Nonetheless, irrespective of how huge these targets appeared, her ardour burned brighter. She started shifting lanes and began swimming in the direction of the Olympics by becoming a member of a summer time swim league. She quickly acknowledged that the more durable she labored, the quicker she turned and the extra she progressed. By highschool, Kristy began seeing the fruits of her labor. The expertise, strokes and self-discipline discovered in observe started paying off and even led to 2nd place at the U.S. Nationals.
THE MOST TRYING HOUR
In 1996, at 17 years previous, Kristy was prepared to comprehend her aim and develop into an Olympian. As she walked onto the pool deck for her first Olympic trials, her nerves struck. This was the scariest, most enjoyable second of her life. With the intention to qualify, she needed to place 1st or 2nd, one thing she had achieved at Nationals the earlier 12 months. Race time got here. She jumped in, swam as quick as she might, touched the wall, counted to 5 and seemed up. Third. She noticed the quantity three subsequent to her identify and her coronary heart broke. All her exhausting work, the very factor she liked—swimming—was now hurting her. Kristy missed qualifying by 17/100ths of a second, faster than a blink of an eye fixed. The devastation was overwhelming. She was pressured to take a seat again and watch as her mates went on to obtain their targets—her aim.
“IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, YOU TRY. TRY AND LEARN”
Three weeks after the trials, Kristy had reset, renewed and reignited her ardour. She was leaving for faculty and trying ahead to a contemporary begin, a new coach and new adventures when immediately, her defeat was splashed in entrance of her, and she or he was gripped with disappointment once more.
Swimming World Journal featured Kristy on their cowl—the face of agony—facet by facet her Olympic-qualifying teammate—the face of ecstasy. Staring her defeat within the face, she determined it was time to make her largest disappointment her biggest motivation.
A KICK IN THE FACE
School got here and Kristy’s motivation started to pay off. She saved the journal cowl together with her, and it helped push her by means of her adversities. She was breaking data and have become the primary feminine in U.S. historical past to win a world championship in the 100 m breaststroke. 4 years after agony, Kristy was able to tackle the 2000 Olympic trials with a new fireplace and burning ardour. This time, as she walked onto the pool deck, she stopped and admired the wall that stood behind the pool. It held the names of each Olympic qualifier, completely scripted, to be honored all the time. She might style victory; she had paid her dues. Race time got here. She jumped in, swam as quick as she might, touched the wall, counted to 5 and seemed up. Third. There it was once more. How might this be? Disbelief rushed by means of her; did she actually miss her shot by 1/100th of a second? May she actually be in 3rd place once more? She was the nationwide champion on this occasion; how was this potential? It felt like “a kick within the face.” She might have felt agony in 1996, however this time, she felt anger.
A REASON TO PERSEVERE
As she cried in shock over the close to miss, she had a call to make but once more. She might flounder or she might focus. This was what she had educated for. She had one other occasion to swim in two days. This was the second to comprehend her targets, and she or he wanted her identify on that wall. The day got here for her to swim the 200 m breaststroke. She jumped in, swam as quick as she might, touched the wall, counted to 5 and seemed up. FIRST. She had performed it; she certified and broke the American file alongside the best way. This was the second that 8-year-old had dreamt of all these years in the past. Kristy was going to the Olympics.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY
The Olympics got here and Kristy received the silver medal within the girls’s 200 m breaststroke, and the success was candy. At this level, the medal was the icing on the cake. Dedication, perseverance and exhausting work had pushed her by means of. She had been on a protracted, loopy journey and lastly achieved her aim. Nonetheless, the actual prizes she found had been the numerous classes she discovered about herself, her power and the energy of perseverance. She discovered that the finest a part of attaining her aim was the journey that bought her there. Every child step and each impediment introduced new alternatives to be taught and evolve alongside the best way.
Right this moment, Kristy is a 4th grade trainer in Southern California the place she additionally coaches, trains and leads clinics for swimmers and younger athletes. Though her targets right this moment stay past the pool and aggressive swimming, she nonetheless constantly units them. When talking with her college students, she encourages them to dream these huge, loopy desires. If it challenges them, good. The more durable the higher. As a result of to Kristy, it’s not about the finish consequence, it’s about the journey. The primary try might fail, the second try might fail, however the classes discovered alongside the best way are the actual achievements. With every strive, one grows stronger, smarter, extra passionate and finally that journey results in desires coming true.
