26A- Celebrating Failure

Kalie Novosedliak
Professor Pryor
ENT3003- Assignment 26A
April 14, 2020


1) Something I continuously failed in this semester was in swim practices or at swim meets. This is actually something I have been struggling in and out of for the past couple of years. I have not been able to perform as well and as consistently as I had in high school so I have experienced a lot of failure with swimming in the past couple of years at UF. This particular failure occurred at my end of season swim meet when I swam the 200 free. Prior to this swim, I had a decent 500 free and although it definitely wasn't close to what I have done before, it still gave me hope that I was moving in a positive direction performance wise, giving me more hope that my 200 free would show positive results too. I remember being nervous for this race because I had subconsciously put more pressure on myself in hopes that my performance would parallel the same results as my 500. However, a big part of swimming and really any other sport is the mentality you are in prior to your race or even during. Because of this pressure I immediately felt tight and stiff after diving in the water, which is a hard physical and mental challenge to overcome especially during a race. I touched the wall and knew it wasn't as good as what I hoped for. My personal best is a 1:49.25 and I went 1:51.81. Although a two second difference seems like the blink of an eye, in swimming its much more than it may seem especially after not dropping any time for a couple of years. This is a time that I would consider a failure both physically and mentally.

2) From this, I was able to take away a lot of information about myself and some things I need to change for the next race. I realized I do the best when I don't put any pressure on myself and just have fun. Psyching myself out seconds before a race will make me over think every movement and distract me from actually swimming the race with full effort put forth. I have trouble with the mental side of swimming and think it is a big factor of why my performance has not been able to be as consistent. I need to focus on myself and control the controllable, being my mindset and the things I do leading up to the race like warm up, what I eat, hydration, etc.

3) I would say I handle failure pretty well. Especially in swim, it is more common than not to fail in either a race or a set you do in practice. However once you have a good race or practice those are what keep you motivated to strive for more. Even the failures are needed in order to improve and learn about what is best for you because every swimmer is different. We all have different routines and figuring out what works best for us is truly through trial and error. I view failure as another opportunity to learn and improve and emotionally although I may be frustrated, I know if I keep giving my all it will eventually pay off when I least expect it. Swimming for me at least is something much bigger than just myself, its a team. So if its especially important for me to stay positive for my teammates and make sure they have a good race even if I don't. This class had definitely taught me to take more risks and be confident in what you do and the risks you take. Some of the most successful people regardless of what it's in are not afraid to take risks and use the trial and error method. This is something I want to gain confidence in and try more of.