Wednesday 10 December 2014

Blog 2153: Inspiration - worth a read

Inspiration comes in many forms, music, films, books, quotes or watching superstars and wanting to be them. It is a very personal thing and always works best when it is close to you as success becomes easier to obtain. After Esther Halford won performance of the year award she has wrote into to say thanks. Let this letter be another source of inspiration for you and further proof that Long Eaton S.C. are the best pathway club in the Midlands with more of our swimmers coming through our pathway and onto Derrventio Excell the top performing squad in the East Midlands.

Dear Long Eaton Swimming Club
This is a HUGE thank you for choosing me to receive the Award for Performance of the Year. My new Blue Seventy swimsuit has arrived today and I hope it will help me to swim even faster in the future.
When Long Eaton SC first began I was still in LTS and I remember my first Club Champs in 2008 where I finished 6th and got my first trophy. Since then I have carried on swimming and have steadily got faster. This year I won 1st place in my age group along with 8 huge trophies outright and another to share so it was brilliant.
There have been times when I've been close to giving up, when training has been difficult and when my school friends have moaned that I'm always swimming. I didn't start out as the fastest. It has taken lots of effort to get as good as I am today and I know I can still improve things, especially my turns and underwater work, along with my starts as I am often the last to dive in!
It's great to race in meets. They bring out the competitive side of me and it's really brilliant when I win. I was the most amazed at Midlands earlier this year when I won a gold medal in the 800FR. I didn't even realise that I'd qualified for Nationals and thought everyone was smiling at me because I'd ripped my costume or something. It was a brilliant time and then I won a bronze in the 400FR to make it even better.
I have made so many friends through swimming and it was hard to leave those at Long Eaton and move to DX full time last May but it is the next step and things are going well at the moment. I'll always have a special place for Long Eaton SC though and will represent them whenever I swim in Derbyshire or in the Arena League if I'm selected.
My success is linked to the effort I put in and I would like to encourage all the younger swimmers to keep trying - even when things are tough. Like I said, I wasn't the fastest when I was little but with training I have got better. My coaches have helped me by pushing me to my goals even when it's been hard and I haven't been keen. With their help I have had my best year yet.
So please thank everyone, all my coaches and teachers, the Committee, and Helen Gorman for arranging my prize and to all my swimming friends who have inspired me every day.

Esther