Ninety-seven medals from various competitions won in the past 10 years hang from the wall in my room which are all too heavy for one hook. 

Eight hooks screwed into my wall to display all my achievements and to show my passion for synchronized swimming.

Some medals mean more and some mean less to me. 

Some have more memories while some just have more glitter to show off.

I have one that hangs separately from the rest.

It reflects bright silver from the sunlight to show how important it is from the rest.

It is my junior olympic medal, but it isn't about the name.

They are about the memories I made when I got the medal placed around my neck. 

I spent a whole week with my team in a house for our big Junior Olympic competition in Florida. 

My team is a family to me so of course we have our fights but we also have good laughs on these long trips. 

We spent most of the time focusing on doing our best as a team and making those memories which I see when I look at the medal.

I see the medal and I taste the pasta dinner my coaches made us for the night before.

All eight of us wrapped around a big table like hungry hippos from the long week of competing we already had.

Waiting for the next day to arrive to get our nerves over with for our final swim.

 That last routine was the finale of the season and we were ready to make it count.

I see the medal and I hear my coach telling us to wake up at 6:00 am to get ready for the big day. 

This was it. 

We all sat around the table eating breakfast, quiet as can be from the butterflies in our stomach.

I see the medal and I smell the chlorine from the pool and feel the cold on my skin from the water when I dive in.

All my worries rush away when I smile at the judges.

Competing was the best part and explains why I am so passionate about synchronized swimming. 

I see the medal on my wall and I see a flash of the moment we finish our last swim.

I see the white teeth from our smiles shining so bright like a star in the sky.

I feel my tears of joy stream down my face like a river.

I saw the big number on the scoreboard which told us we were second.

I not only remember what happened at the meet but I see the hard work we put in as a team.

The long nights at practice when we felt too tired.

The early mornings when our eyes were not yet awake.

The sets my coaches pushed us through.

The swim throughs that made our bodies feel like Jello.

When I look at my medal I see the hard work and I know it is worth it.

I know my coaches were proud of us too when they gave me a hug that felt real.

It meant something to me and it’s a moment that only can be felt if you were there.

It’s been 10 years since I started this sport and this is the one moment I will never forget.

This medal reminds me why I love synchronized swimming so much and I could not live without it.