Anxiety took over my body as I prepared to jump. The 80 foot waterfall looming atop Turner Falls seemed to be challenging me, beckoning me to come and attempt to plunge from the rock into the waterfall to try to endure the pressure as the water knocked me straight down into the deep waters and jagged rocks which awaited below. I waited with an eager excitement thinking that if I could take this plunge, I would really be able to swim with those I saw as the "big fish." Waiting on that rock I had no idea that the events following my wait would change that jump from being something I so much desired into something I would be grateful to never personally experience. Ahead of me in line were two brothers, one 14 years old and the other 17. They were both tall and thin with caramel colored skin. They had wiry black hair and dark brown eyes and continually chattered back and forth to each other and their many other brothers and sisters in Spanish. With an inability to swim, the brothers jumped in with nothing to aid them but faith that the waters would push them out into shallow safety. The two went under and a fanatic frenzy broke out when random bystanders watching on the sides realized that the boys were not coming up. The lifeguards began frantically blowing their whistles and screaming at everyone, "Get out of the water! Everybody! Out! Now!" With no knowledge of the severity of what was going on, I was almost in a state of confusion as I looked to the side and saw my mother screaming at me to get off the rock. Needless to say, I went to my mother and within seconds the water was empty, except for the two boys who lay below the surface. One brother was retrieved from the water in only a few moments, not smooth and with ease, as I expected from what I'd seen on television, but with severe difficulty, as if he was 1000 pounds of dead weight. The other was nowhere to be found. In a desperate search, the breathless and scared lifeguards came over to the crowd, which had formed aside the water. "Do we have any divers in the crowd? Please? Anybody with any experience at all please we need your help." After over 15 minutes of searching and scrambling, finally the second brother was pulled from the water from a spot directly under the waterfall, 19 feet beneath the surface.
Little Billy was terrified because his father had said Billy was going to learn to swim by the method of sink-or-swim. His father was going to throw Billy into the deep end, and Billy was going to damn well swim. It was like an execution. Billy was numb as his father carried him from the shower room to the pool. His eyes were closed. When he opened his eyes, he was on the bottom of the pool and there was beautiful music playing everywhere. He lost consciousness, but the music went on. He dimly sensed that someone was rescuing him. Billy resented that. (43-4)
I smiled to myself and decided that I would go join in. With that, I took a huge deep breath and jumped into the salty water. The water was cool and refreshing; I felt it slide through my hair making it sway in the water. I swam deeper and deeper into the deep blue water. Sunlight streamed through it, lighting up the water around me turning it to gold. I kicked harder and I felt my muscles surge with strength and I pushed further. My lunges began to burn for the need of oxygen, but I refused to go up. I repeatedly told myself just a little bit longer. Until I was unable to proceed anymore without more air in my lungs, I swam to the top of the water taking a huge breaths, filling my lungs with air. I could then taste the salty water as it ran down my face and dripped over my lips. Just then I thought, I will never forget this moment, this place, or the experiences I felt while visiting
It was a warm rainy June night the humidity was high which made it even harder to breathe on the crammed boat. My family was asleep on the constantly rocking boat suddenly the boat shook, but my family was still fast asleep. I couldn’t seem to fall asleep so I got up and stepped out on the cold wet steel boats upper deck to get some air. When I got outside I realized that it was pouring bucket sized rain. I saw increasingly large waves crash furiously against the lower deck. Hard water droplets pelted my face, I could taste the salt water in my mouth from the spray of the ocean. Suddenly A massive wave slammed hard against the ship and almost swallowed the boat. Wind gusts started kicking up. I held onto the rail grasping it as if it were my prized possession. Suddenly I was blown
Surprisingly, our parents had beaten us to the top and we all stopped in awe, mesmerized by the great waterfall in front of us. My mouth felt like the Sahara desert. I vividly remember reaching for the chilling water bottle that hid underneath the tons of clothes stuffed in my father’s black backpack to quench my thirst. I took off my beaten down shoes and stinky socks covered in dirt from the trail and blood from the blisters on my feet and dove into the refreshing lake. After swimming through the lake for a few seconds, I abruptly jumped out of the freezing water. My toes turned into a blue that reminded me of the blueberry muffins from breakfast that morning. My body shivered as I exited the lake and threw on a warm towel over my shoulders. Gradually my body heat increased, escaping the risk of hypothermia. At that point, I just wanted to go home. My family and I gathered all our belongings and I dragged my energyless body into the large, gray shuttle. The shuttle smelled of sweat from previous passengers. It drove us down a rough, bumpy trail, causing my tall father to constantly slam his head on the roof of the car. After we finally got back to our hotel, we all let off a sigh of
Forty hands shot up pointing towards the bottom of the old twisty slide following the long dreadful whistle no one ever wants to hear. Two other lifeguards and I jumped up off the shaded break bench and rushed towards the scene with the heavy backboard and AED bag in hand. The routine save played like a movie through my head as I arrived. I stopped. I knew from there on out this wasn't going to be emotionally an easy save. It wasn't a child who swallowed too much water or an adult who got nervous because they forgot how to swim, it was a fellow lifeguard, a friend.
...trength completely fails and he lets go and starts to drown and sink. to not save him but to continue to paddle and get to safety. I hold back tears with fire and brimstone and I start to paddle as if the devil were behind us even though I am feeling drained as well. After about another hour or so it seems we start closing in and my father feels sand brush his feet. We both let out a huge sigh of relief as my father finally touches the bottom. still being about a quarter mile from the shore we do sort of a “Island hop” with the sand patches and we make our way back from where we came. Once we get back we decide thats enough beach for the day and go home. Feeling victorious and defeated at the same time I still hold a scar within me. and within that scar there is a small dark hole within me that is afraid of the ocean. And to this day I fear I will forever be afraid.
In "Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity", the narrator undergoes skydiving and experiences a
Put together a plan of action to progress the person demonstrating the unskilled movement so that it becomes a skilled movement. This may involve movement cueing, additional resistance training, technique coaching, mobility work, or anything else you deem necessary to address your patient/client’s insufficiencies. Provide a 1-2 page written description of your plan, plus a 3-5 minute YouTube video of yourself coaching someone (friend or relative) through the necessary steps for improvement. You may want to review chest analysis video in week 5’s lab https://youtu.be/kDCIXNb4m3k as an example. In the video, provide an example of how the patient/client previously moved, what you did to address the insufficiencies you noted in CAP 6, and a
My sweat soaked shirt was clinging to my throbbing sunburn, and the salty droplets scalded my tender skin. “I need this water,” I reminded myself when my head started to fill with terrifying thoughts of me passing out on this ledge. I had never been so relieved to see this glistening, blissful water. As inviting as the water looked, the heat wasn't the only thing making my head spin anymore. Not only was the drop a horrifying thought, but I could see the rocks through the surface of the water and couldn't push aside the repeating notion of my body bouncing off them when I hit the bottom. I needed to make the decision to jump, and fast. Standing at the top of the cliff, it was as if I could reach out and poke the searing sun. Sweat dripped from my forehead, down my nose, and on its way to my dry, cracked lips which I licked to find a salty droplet. My shirt, soaked with perspiration, was now on the ground as I debated my
There were less than twenty-five people in the water, so I was guarding by myself while the other lifeguards took a break. I took note of a woman who was in the water with three children under the age of ten years old. The children looked to be average swimmers for their age, but the mediocre supervision of their guardian concerned me. Ten minutes into my shift, I heard a scream for help from the deep end of the pool. As I turned around, I saw a young girl flailing her arms and struggling to keep her head above the water. It was one of the children that I had been keeping an eye on. I immediately jumped towards her and landed behind her, much to my own surprise. She was at least five metres away from me, but the apparent rush of adrenaline allowed me to jump right to her. I grabbed her around her waist and sat her on my hip in the standard lifeguard carry. I made my way to the side of the pool deck where my supervisor was waiting to help me reassure the child and report the
Introduction The vertical jump is an incredibly important skill to have as an athlete and as an active human being. Every human being requires full body power, to live and function on a daily basis, and the vertical jump is the best and easiest way to display this. Power (based off of strength) is the basis for all athletic needs including speed, balance and agility. Without the ability to undergo rapid force production, athletes cannot compete at an elite level (Welsh, 2016).
As I become comfortable with this finitude, I become comfortable with my mortality and with all my limitations. Gradually, I begin to float. As the splashing of my youth subsides I perceive that I have been swimming against a current. Paradoxically, it is only when I relax and accept my place in the river that I begin to make progress. Even now the river is sweeping me into new vistas.
My internal organs thumped against my chest as I dragged my bag along the carpet floor and into the corridor. As I walked into the long hall, I glanced up and noticed the sign telling me I could get on. My entire body could barely hold itself together with the anticipation of the monumental, dream-come-true event about to take place. I said to myself, "I'll soon be in the air." I slowed my pace to further enjoy what was happening. Swarms of people walked around me as I treasured knowing that one of my lifetime goals was now inevitably going to occur. The excitement and adrenaline running through my veins could have killed a horse.
My toes burrowed into the damp sand and I was relieved to realize that the water was warmer than I had expected. As I stood there and breathed in, deeply, the moist salty air, allowing my heart to fill with the vigor of the ocean and releasing the thoughts of the boy from my past with each exhale, a ball hit my feet and a man ran to get it as his friend yelled “you’re welcome!.” Were they trying to get my attention? I thought as I simply walked away avoiding eye contact with the man who collected the ball. I wandered along the water’s border allowing the water to cooly kiss my feet. the water hit my feet. I smiled as I looked at all of the young surfers attempting to catch the two foot waves. I amused myself by pondering what their future would look like and if I was witnessing the start of a surfing legend. I envied their potential, the years they would have to master their art to acquire their dreams, whatever they may be.
The worst day of my life began innocently enough with my small group of friends preparing to explore a cave. Each month the four of us, I, Jill, John, and Ted, would choose two or three caves and spend our weekends engrossed in exploring them. Today’s cave was a special one; it afforded just a small window of opportunity for exploration because it flooded completely with each high tide. As we checked our packs and made sure all our spelunking and survival gear was in order, a rather jovial, but sizable, fellow by the name of Scott Porker happened by and asked if he could join our group. We agreed, as we were always happy to be in the company of a kindred spirit, and since the tide had just gone out we began our descent into the cave.