The year was 1991 and I had made sectionals. I was really excited. All I needed to do was break a low 28 for the 50 free and I would be going to States. For the first time I would be exclusively racing against women. I have vague memories of that day but I'll never forget the feeling. Missing States by tenths of a second... and just like that my competitive swimming journey ended or so I had thought at the time.



This loss was especially significant because I knew that I didn't have the right conditions to make states possible. I still tried but it just wasn't realistic. I didn't have the training background of most swimmers. At the time I was swimming for Roosevelt High School in Yonkers. We were lucky if we got into a pool that was 20 yards 3 times a week... 2 times a week was common. Mark Twain Junior High School had gotten a new pool in 1992, the year after I graduated.  It was bitter sweet watching my sister compete at All City Championships there the following year.

Little did I know that this loss would get locked in a vault behind some really thick emotional walls that wouldn't start to get unlocked until 13 years later.

This loss was the ember that fueled a competitive odyssey that spanned over a decade and still continues in some form today.

Week by week this story will unfold with the hopes to inspire others to not let age define them. With the right ember, anything is possible. :)