•August 24, 2016•

By Brynna Sentel
NP Columnist

I wasn’t even supposed to medal in this event. In prelims I finished 11th. Only the top nine were supposed to medal. But some stroke of luck occurred, and two people scratched; suddenly I was in the ready room with eight other swimmers who I thought were better than me.

I almost let my nerves get the best of me. Almost every swimmer will probably agree that the first time in the ready room is terrifying, especially when you are a small town girl such as myself.

I thought back to the time another team member and I made it to Zones. Zones is where swimmers represent their state rather than their club team. I was representing the state of Illinois against other swimmers representing their own states. So, Zones is a step higher than the State meet.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.