It is the final hour of observation of the night, and, as the members of the water polo team rush to the opposite end of the pool that I am observing from, I become dazed. Sitting in five excruciatingly long, overwhelming college-level classes, listening to small-minded people rant about some political event or another, and watching my basketball team practice without me is enough to make the aqua blue walls of the pool area inviting. I stare off into the wall, wondering if, just like the water, I can jump right in and disappear. “Go for the goal!” a cry shrills out and then continues to reverberate within the massive walls of the room. I am quickly diverted from my thoughts because the piercing noise of a boy who screamed rings through
I play for the Marist College water polo team. I practice five days a week, for about four hours a day (6:45 am to 11:00 am). We are a spring sport and dedicate the entire fall semester to getting ready for spring season. We even cut our winter break down two weeks shorter to get in extra practice. Winter break practice is a lot harder because there are no rules and regulations on the amount of time we are allowed to practice. If the coaches so please, they can keep us in the water the entire time without a break. Now a coach would never do that because they would not be receiving maximum efficiency from us. We would be too exhausted but the point was that there are no rules for them. Our practices start off with a morning lift in
In conclusion, John Cheever’s short story, “The Swimmer,” is an all-encompassing piece of fiction that deals with the heavy topic of life and time. Incredibly, Cheever drew inspiration from his own life and mixed specific, personal elements into the work. This tactic proved successful, as it has given “The Swimmer” the capability to portray a bleak, yet accurate depiction of the human condition. Cheever sheds light on the parts of life that most people much rather ignore than face. In essence, Cheever used his abilities intelligently and as a result, gave the literary world the wonderful story that is “The Swimmer.”
...utweighed only by his need to get to him. So, he runs harder, faster than ever and then “knowing it was too late,”(287) Sarty hears the shots. Bang . . . . .Bang! Bang! And it is over. The night is quiet save for the distant echo of a young boy’s agonizing screams “Father! Father!”(287)
In John Cheever’s short story, “The Swimmer” he conveys the transformation of the character through the use of the literary element of setting. The story begins in an American, middle class, suburbs. After what seems to be a night of partying and drinking. Neddy Merrill, the main character initially appears very optimistic; he has a perfect family, high social status and very few problems in his life. In spite of his age, he feels young and energetic therefore decides to swim across town through the neighborhood pools. However, his journey becomes less and less enjoyable as the day unfolds. The water become murky, uninviting and he becomes exhausted. Also the people in his surrounding become less cordial including his mistress who wants nothing to do with him. His voyage then comes to an end when he arrives to an empty, abandoned home. The central idea suggests that an unhealthy obsession with the materialistic aspects of life can lead to alienation.
In the short story The Swimmer by John Cheever, one of the dominant themes is the passage of time. In this short story time seems to pass as reality does with us unaware of its passing. The main character is the protagonist hero, Neddy Merrill who embarks on a traditional theme of a homeward journey. The scene opens on a warm mid-summer day at an ongoing pool party with Neddy and his wife Lucinda. The pool is “fed by an artesian well with a high iron content, was a pale shade of green.
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
Have you ever thought of how water polo came to be? Where did it come from? How does it impact people on society? Well it’s definitely one of the hardest sports to play, and it takes endurance, pain, and commitment to be in it. Water polo is essentially a culture of its own because of how people’s behavior differs from in this sport and to people who don’t play sports. How this culture began is vital of knowing why water polo is a culture at all. What people wear is something that can change to the culture of this sport. Finally, why people love to commit to a sport is another idea of what makes this a culture. There are reasons to why water polo can be a culture and this paper will demonstrate the facts.
A high pitched scream pierced the silence of the afternoon “HELP!” Fofo paused his rolling around to look for the source of the scream; Laticia paused her juggling as well to search for the source. “HELP!” was screamed again orienting Laticia and Fofo towards the origin.
In “Swimmers” by John Cheever, the negative changes in the narrator’s surroundings as he journeyed along the river allowed him to leave his façade and reconnect with reality. For example, when Neddy leaves the gazebo at the Levy’s house and analyzes his surroundings, he says, “The force of the wind had stripped a maple of its red and yellow leaves and scattered them over the grass and the water” (Cheever 730). The description of falling leaves compared to the description of a bright, summer day presented at the beginning of the story shows that a significant amount of time has passed since then. This reveals to the reader that Neddy is not truly aware of his surroundings because from his perspective, it seems as if only a few hours have passed
The water polo sport industry is rather a very lackluster business. Although USA water polo has recently received to some public attention from its silver medal in Beijing, it has remained a forgotten sport. This is perhaps due to the lack of professional teams in the US and/or lack of a strong youth national development programs. Although water polo may be the most intensive and exhausting sports ever conceived, the water polo family always manages to hang on in some shape or form. As a water polo player myself, I see that my pathways to professional success is very limited as there is very narrow road. Many professional water polo players in the US hold second jobs and relegate to a coaching position to fuel their passions. However, the excess of water polo coaches concentrated in the senior high level creates an extreme bottleneck as most water polo seniors graduate without a future scholarship or career in line. The bottleneck traps many professional water polo players in a dire financial situation while leaving behind amateur players.
Another loud bang shook the gym. Worried whispers started to popcorn the gym, kids huddled close to their friends, looking around for the source of the bangs. Another bang and the back gym wall exploded. Kids screamed and yelled. Starling's eyes widened. Her friends jumped back and stayed close together, Ella joined them as her other friends ran towards the gym door, which seemed to be locked because the kids weren't getting out of the gym.
He leans ever so carefully against the door to get a better listen becoming loud enough for him to make it out. Clearly, the words pierce his heart when he hears the voices chant.
The Lure of Polo Through the Years Dangerous, thrilling, addictive—however you choose to describe the modern game of polo, you can be sure that someone used those same words thousands of years ago for the same purpose. Polo, as it is played today, is merely a refinement of games played as early as the sixth century B.C. It has been said, in many languages and in many time periods, “He who plays polo once will sacrifice his money and body to play again.” Polo has survived for over two thousand years; its addiction must be as powerful as players claim. The “sport of kings” is one of the oldest sports still in existence today.
For this assignment I observed a 5th/6th grade volleyball team. Volleyball has a lot of team comradery, so they’re almost always cheering, whether that’s after an ACE or just a point in general. I chose to observe the same grade as I coach, but chose a different sport so I could see what the differences were in the environment and how the girls interacted with each other in this particular sport.
Can’t think. My body shakes and screams from the tension. Heart pounding, nerves tingling, every muscle contracted. Stop. Focus. Deep breath and close everything out. I shut my eyes and the turbulent world in which I am submerged goes black and silent. Coach says visualize the race. Visualize your ideal race. I visualize….