"I want to try out for the Fins."
I'll never forget the day my 6-year-old daughter announced that she wanted to try out for the swim team. Maya had taken to the water like a fish and she was a strong and confident swimmer. But, she was only 6, and the Fins were an 8U team.
"Maybe next year," I said, dismissing her request.
"Why not this year?" she said. "I can do it. I can make the team."
Why not this year?
"Because you're still a little young and the other girls are much bigger and stronger," is what I said. But what was going through my head was, "I can't bear the thought of seeing my little girl disappointed if she gets cut from the team."
Maya didn't let up, which is consistent with her competitive spirit. Her father was all for it, but you know men; they don't worry about the emotional side of things! And in the end, they won out and the rest is history.
I sat with my hands clenched and heart in my mouth as I watched tryouts from the humid bleachers in the upper deck of the pool. But when I saw my little 6-year-old breast-stroking her way right past every 8-year-old out there, my anxiety turned to pride.
Maya made the team, and the next team, and swam her way right into the most elite program in the area. She is now 12 years old and continues to win, breaking club records and setting new personal bests.
It hasn't been easy. She has practice six days a week at the crack of dawn and the family has had to make a lot of sacrifices, both with our time and with our money. But the deal has always been that we would do everything to support her dream of becoming an Olympic athlete as long as she continued to put in the work, both in the pool and in the classroom.
In the beginning it wasn't that bad–just a lot of time and meets. But now that she is a recognized athlete and one of the best breast strokers in the whole country (sometimes I just have to pinch myself!) there's a whole new level of expectation. I feel the pressure, Maya feels the pressure and her dad feels the pressure.
Now, not only are the practices more intense, there's a lot of travel involved. One of us is always there and more often than not, it's the whole family. Maya's little brother is getting older and is really starting to understand just how good his sister is. He is so proud of his big sister and hates to miss a meet!
Maya may be a tough athlete, but I know she's still a little girl. She has her superstitions and must-haves for every meet. She always has to have a hair tie that matches her swim suit and her favorite snack for in between races. So, every week I make a batch of Frosted Flakes PB&J Bars and slip a couple of them into her swim bag. That way, win or lose, I know there's a nutritious snack waiting for her. And she knows that her mom loves her.
I don't know if we will ever see Maya on the Olympic podium. But with a strong and loving family behind her, she's got as good a shot as any.
