Last Home Meet to Late-Night Movies: School Work, New Routines, and Small Wins - Week 21
Another week has come to an end, and this one was packed with milestones. We wrapped up our last home swim meet of the season, and classes officially kicked into gear. After the slower start last week, this week brought homework, quizzes, and a real sense that the semester is going to be much more challenging than the last. At the same time, with the swim season winding down, I’m hopeful that balancing academics and athletics will become a bit easier. Only time will tell.
Monday was uneventful—a typical start to the week. But Tuesday brought some excitement with a movie night in my dorm. We watched Mufasa: The Lion King, and somehow, we managed to fit up to 16 people into my small McHugh dorm room. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel super cramped thanks to our new bunk bed layout, which has freed up a lot of space. It was a fun way to relax midweek, and I loved seeing everyone come together.
The rest of the week passed in a blur of assignments, tests, and one very specific focus: tracking the delivery of my new smart ring. I checked every update religiously, and it finally arrived on Saturday morning—the same day as our last home swim meet. I barely had time to unbox it before heading off to compete.
Saturday’s meet was bittersweet. The girls' team won, but the men’s team lost to Fairmont by just eight points—a tough result, but not entirely unexpected given their strong squad. Personally, I swam the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 freestyle, and a 4x50 freestyle relay. While it was fun to race, I didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped. Hopefully, I can fine-tune everything before our conference meet.
After the meet, I ended up at a small party in one of the upperclassmen's dorms. They went all out with a DJ, a dance floor, and everything set up in their room. It wasn’t really my scene, so I didn’t stay long, but it was interesting to see the effort they put into it.
Sunday wasn’t much of a break either. Coach had us up early for a morning swim and then back in the water for a power session in the afternoon. It wasn’t the most enjoyable day, but it’s all part of the grind of being a swimmer.
To wrap up the week, Sarp and I ordered some food and watched a movie together. It was a simple but perfect way to recharge and reflect on everything that happened.
