Special Olympics: Antelope Valley Swim Meet

Dear Diary,

I am going to tell you my thoughts on the Antelope Valley Swim Meet for Special Olympics. Let me just say that this was the last meet before the Summer Games a week later. My first thought was that I can see what kind of competition I might have at the State Games a week later because alot of swimmers who were at that meet were at State Games. For this meet...I was going to race the 25m/50m freestyle, 25m backstroke, & the relay race...that only required me to swim 25m freestyle. I said to myself..this will be so easy to win. My goal was to win 3 gold medals because it wasn't definate about the relay race until the last minute but I wanted to win 3 golds for the races I was in.

My first race was the 25m freestyle...I blew that race. I came in 4th place and got a ribbon. I was angry and upset that I started crying. I just knew I could have done better then I did but I got off to a bad start, then I choked on pool water, and felt like I couldn't breathe..had to cough it out then finish the race. Surprising enough I came in 4th place with 6 people in that race!!!!

My second race was the 50m freestyle...I won the gold medal on that event. After the first race..my coaches kept me focused for the other races. They do what they call "damage control" which means when your not happy with your performance or upset about where you placed..part of the coaches job is to keep you focused on your next race so you don't "crack" under the pressure. Surprising to me though is that the girl who took the gold in the 25m freestyle race...I was in the same race and as you know I got 4th but we were both in the same race for the 50m freestyle and I was able to beat her for the gold...she took the silver. That's just weird to me how I blew the short race but beat her in the longer one!!!!

My third race was the 25m backstroke and I won the gold medal on that event. I pushed myself on that and I was done a bit before the swimmers made to the other side. In fact...the guy that took my time on that race said "Dang girl...you hauled @ss!" I was just like shocked that he said that...I mean the way he said it. I said "Thanks"!! I started to cry because I was so happy about winning that race.

The last race was the relay. I never had to swim relay in a meet before but there's always a first time for everything so this was it for relay. I only had to swim 25m freestyle and I was first in the water. The way the coaches decide what order you swim in relay is called strategy my friends. They start it off with a good swimmer, followed by a faster swimmer, followed by a slower swimmer, and the fastest swimmer(for the relay team) swims anchor which is the last part of the race. So, like I said I was first in the water and I did ok for my first time although I was nervous. The other girls on my relay team was Regan, Lorna, and Lindsay. As a team we won the gold...pretty awesome to me because it takes team work to get it done and we were able to enjoy victory with the gold medal. Congratulations to my team mates for a job well done!!!!

So the question remains is did I accomplish what my goal was the Antelope Valley Meet? The answer is yes. I did win 3 gold medals and a 4th place ribbon. I said my goal was to win 3 gold medals but I didn't say what races I would win them in. So I did accomplish my goal and I'm happy with that!!!

That is all for now. My next entry is going to be about the 2008 Special Olympics Summer Games that were held at Long Beach State University on Father's Day weekend.

Until Next Time,

~*Kelly*~

P.S.- At the swim meet in Antelope Valley....I did alot of praying before my races but God taught me about getting "a big head" in swimming...thinking that I was going to win every race that I was in. I took a 4th place in the 25m freestyle and I was extremely upset and crying. God showed me that I need to be a good sport when I don't win. I guess I was putting standards on myself and when I didn't reach them...it really bothered me because I was trying to please other people to make them proud of me. I felt like if I didn't win...they would be disappointed in me. God allowed that experience to happen to teach me about being a good sport and I believe now He was setting me up for State Games which I will tell you all about in my next entry.

Moments I've Experienced God...

Dear Diary,

I've been thinking about all the times that I've experienced God in unique and intimate ways. So..to help me through tough times in my life...I decided to record all of those times so I can look back and be reminded that God was always there and He loves me...

*It was early on a Sunday morning when I felt God's presence. He was pulling on my heart strings to come back to church. The pull was so strong that I felt I needed to obey Christ...so I went to Knott Avenue Christian Church. (January 2008)

*I know that meeting Dan Harper(ILLUMINATE Pastor) was a blessing. God used him to speak to me. I met him my first time at Knott Ave. We spent some time talking about my issues and I realized that I can't be perfect in the eyes of God. Only He is perfect...but with Christ...I can become more like Him. Jesus sacrificed his own life to save mine...He went through the ultimate punishment to save me from my sins so that I can have eternal life and live forever!!! PRETTY INTENSE BUT AMAZING!!!! (January 2008)

*Accepting Christ. God made me feel that He is the truth, the light, and the way...the only way. He wants to help me with my issues. Without Him..I'm nothing. But with Him...I can do anything. I felt His presence so strongly that Sat. morning...that's when I accepted Christ....I'm forever His child and will never leave Him again for anything or anyone!! (February 2, 2008)

*My baptism. You can read about it in an earlier post but I can tell you that it was an AMAZING experience that only God can let happen!!! (February 10, 2008)

*You can read about this experience in an earlier entry about the situation with a manager I had at work. God really revealed Himself to me through this experience. It taught me so much about God and His creations. I came to realize that I am God's creation and He shapes me the way He wants me to be. I also see more of God's creations on this earth...never did I notice the snow capped mountains or the sunshine on a beautiful day...I do notice it now and that's God...He made nature colorful and beautiful. It seems like when your not a christian...you don't really notice because it's all black and white but when you do become a christian...you do notice because GOD CREATED THE EARTH AND EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE ON IT!!! TRULY AMAZING!!! (February 2008)

*God was with me at my very first swim meet. I was extremely nervous going into the meet but God was with me. I could feel His presence that day. I prayed alot prior to the day of the meet and God was right beside me the whole day. I wanted to win a medal so badly and with God on my side...I came home with 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal. I couldn't have done that without God's strength..with God I can do all things...the bible says so but without Him...I'm nothing. It really taught me to put my trust in God in any situation that I need to trust Him with. (March 29, 2008)

*When I got back from vacation..For 3 weeks..I went through a really difficult time with God. My faith in Him was being tested and satan almost won the battle. I had so many people praying for me during that most difficult time but I had to "do business" with God. I think I was trying to get other people to fix it for me but they can't. Only God can fix it. I prayed myself about everything that I was feeling but the thoughts of satan were still in my head. One Thursday night at swim practice...I had a realization...it was like I saw the light of God beaming down on me. I heard His voice say to me "Now if you can train as hard as you do in swimming then why don't you use the tools I have given you to fight satan?" I just was like wow...it's tools such as praying, being in God's word everyday, talking/surrounding yourself with other christians, trusting God that He never lets you go, and to always wear the "Armor Of God"...it makes you stronger when you tell satan to vanish and turn to God. Now I understand about what it means to have faith and knowing that God is always in control if you use His "tools" and wear His Armor everyday!!! (May 2008)

Ok..this entry is complete with all the times that God has showed Himself to me in the past. I wanted to share all of it with you....

Until Next Time,

~*Kelly*~