University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOL SWIMMING AND DIVING DIARY- SARAH MCCALL
December 06, 2006 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Dec. 6, 2006
I think that struggle is something that you can account for in every swimming season, but it is never something that you can necessarily plan. In every athlete at one time or another, it just seems like all the pieces aren't quite fitting together. For me, the first half of this season has been filled with challenges.
Coming off an exciting first season as a collegiate athlete and getting used to the pride of being a Tennessee Lady Vol, I found myself expecting sophomore year to be a little bit easier. I knew what to expect on the college level, and I knew what I needed to do to be great. I found myself easily being able to identify all of these goals, but for some reason I found myself struggling so much to put these plans into action on a daily basis. While training was going fine, it wasn't outstanding. It was merely just ok, and for me, ok isn't enough. Expecting the extra mile from yourself is an absolutely necessary step in making a change. This year Matt and Jen have expressed it is time to make a change that is big not only in our team, but also in ourselves.
Earlier this week, I had a long talk with Matt about where I think we can be this season. A lot of the conversation was based on struggle. Matt told me that expecting this much of yourself is not normal and will not always be comfortable, but enabling yourself with strength and determination to get through tough times will give you the abilities to be exceptional.
I believe his statement was season altering for me. The stresses of be a well-rounded individual seems overwhelming sometimes. Sometimes we all feel that we are being measured up to a standard that is unbelievably high, but if we were accepting of where we were and did not strive to be unbelievable, how could we ever reach the place we have envisioned? This conversation also made me realize that the destination we plan on reaching in February is not one that can be reached alone. It will take a team of people willing to reach this place together despite all of the hardships along the way. Each season is a process and is never promised to be flawless, but how you approach it is something that you can control. Every practice may not be great, and every result may not be exactly what you want, but enjoying what you are doing and knowing that you have teammates who support your dreams and want you to succeed is enough to drive anyone to greatness. Unlike a normal social group or a group that volunteers together, I feel that this team has become more like a group project. Each member has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, but when put together with some work, the presentation has the potential to be outstanding.
Heading into Christmas training I plan to adopt an attitude of enjoying the process of where I am heading. Instead of focusing solely on where I want to be, I will strive to take small steps in the right direction incorporating the changes I know the road will take. Small changes each day in attitude and action have the power to make a big impact over time. I am sure that struggle will occur, but attacking that struggle with fervor will teach our team how to be something greater and stronger than we can imagine.
