There’s nothing like that feeling

Up on the starting block

Adrenaline pumping

Heart thumping

Nerves jumping

Intoxicating

Waiting for that moment where the starter

Yells, “Take your mark!”

You bend over

Grip the block

Brace yourself

For that split second start

Starting gun blares

You launch into the air

Hit the water

And everything disappears

The noise of the crowd

Gone

Your nerves

Gone

All that’s there

Is you

And the water

A perfect harmony

Feels like flying

You slice through

Hot knife through butter

Arms and legs in perfect tandem

Thoughts don’t exist

Except for catching

The person in first

Suddenly

You surface

See your coach

Yelling at you to kick

And you do

Push yourself harder

You flip into the wall

Push off

Lungs burning

This is it

Last moment

Empty the tank

Swim as if you won’t again

Hand slaps the wall

Let out a breath

Done

But not quite

Look up at the scoreboard

See that number one

And it’s by your name

Pure pleasure