Bulldozer in an F1 Race. : 2021 North Shore Master Swim Meet

It's been a while since I've competed in a swim meet, so when the opportunity came, I was sure to put my name down. So on October 16th, I signed up for the North Shore Masters Sprint Meet.

Each participant could choose 3 individual events to compete in as well as a few team relays. I opted for the 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, and the 200m Freestyle.

After a meeting with other swimmers from the Coast Swim Team (under Coach Stewart), I was put on 2 relays; The 200m Freestyle and the 200m Team Medley (swimming backstroke).

We had an amazing turn out from our team and quickly claimed our spot on in the stands. The master list of heat starts was passed around frequently due to the high turn around between heats. The longest heats were 200m so time between heats was sparse.

200 Meter Individual Freestyle

Soon it as time for my first event, the 200m Individual Freestyle. As we lined up at the blocks I cheered for my teammates who were in the heat before me.

The officials noticed that everyone from Coast wore the same kit and were impressed with our numbers, not just in total, but also by how many of us there were in each heat/event.

I opted for an 'in water start' and was sure to get the specifics from the officials on how to proceed. I have never practiced starting off the blocks and did not want to add anything new to throw me off.

The start was sounded and we were off. I could see the advantage of started off the blocks in my periphery but knew I was a fast swimmer and could catch them.

I found a good rhythm and stuck with it, slowly building speed as I went.

150 meters in I could feel my heartrate start to climb. I switched to a 2-beat kick for the last 50 meters to keep my speed up but my heartrate down.

I finished 3rd or 4th in my heat. After a round of fist bumps from my teammates, I waited in the water for the rest of my heat to finish, then climbed out.

One event done, time to stay warm and cheer on my teammates before my next event.

My official time was 3:25.79. This is possibly my personal best for a 200m swim AND it was enough to win my first place in my age group. I have never won my age group in anything before (and I don't dare look up how many were in my age group).

100 Meter Individual Freestyle

Next up was the 100 meter freestyle. Once again I opted for an in water start. I put in a great effort and felt I could turn on the gas more knowing I only had 100 metes to swim.

My heartrate went up after the first 50, but I knew I could push through!

I caught a glimpse at the other lanes when breathing and thought to myself, "Am I winning this heat?"

I waited for another breath to confirm, "I am winning this heat!"

This pushed me even harder and as I plowed into the wall for my finish I could just see the next swimmer touch after me.

I felt fantastic, but did not want to show it. I did not want to boast or make others who worked just as hard or harder feel bad. I gave the second place heat finisher a thumbs up.

I gave the swimmers to my right and left fist mumps, then we all climbed out of the pool.

I was still riding the high of winning my heat, but again did not want to show it. The walk back to the stands went behind a water slide. Once concealed from view by the water slide, I beat my chest 3 times with my right arm. Them emerged to the cheering of my team.

My official time was 1:31.41. Only about 4 seconds off my personal best for a 100m swim. But it was enough to win my second place in my age group (once again I don't dare look up how many were in my age group).

4 x 50 Meter Freestyle Relay

For the 200m relay, I was the third swimmer in our group and the only one opting (once again) for an in water start. I had worked out the transition with the second position swimmer so there would be no confusion (and more importantly no collisions).

I pushed off the wall as soon as I saw our second's hands touch. I pushed hard on this. My breathing rate was half of what I usually do and my kick rate was double. Despite the hard effort, I did manage to keep my form and technique. I did not want that to suffer.

Not mush to say about a 50m sprint. Our team finished with a total time of 2:22.93 and my personal 50m time was 42.30. This gave us third place in our relay division.

50 Meter Individual Freestyle

Not much to say on the penultimate event. I did however step outside my comfort zone and decided to start of the blocks this time! I made sure my goggles were on super tight. There was a little jostle as I entered the water, but they stayed on!

I did this 50 meters pretty much the same as the 50 meters in the relay, but the start of the blocks got me an extra few seconds.

My official time was 0:40.00 and it was enough to win my third place in my age group (once again I don't dare look up how many were in my age group).

4 × 50m Team Medley (Mixed)

Next was the event I was looking forward to, the 4 × 50m Team Medley. I was assigned the backstroke and had spent an hour in the pool the night before practicing all the things I needed to practice to not get disqualified.

Backstroke in an in water start regardless so nothing new here. Plus I had practiced my starts and turns the night before.

I got a good push off the wall and felt very stable for the first 25 meters. I had counted how many strokes it was from the flags to the wall in my training session the night before, so there was little danger of running into the wall.

I was at the flags much sooner than I thought, I counted my strokes and executed the turn. I did get some water up my nose but knew I had to push through. Next time I may wear a nose plug.