I have been on the swim team since I was a little girl. We were up against our biggest competitor of the season, and I was certain that I could beat their all-star swimmer. We got up on the starter blocks, and I was off like lightning as soon as the race started. I immediately took the lead, and the longer I went, the more I could hear the crowd shouting for me, getting louder and louder. I felt like I was swimming my best race ever! All of a sudden, I felt something grab a hold of me. It was my coach! It turns out that someone had false started and the race had stopped, but I didn’t realise it. My coach had to hop in and catch me! Everyone was laughing at me, but I got out of the pool graciously and got back on the starting block. Unfortunately, I was so tired after my “practice” run, I didn’t have the strength to do as well as I did before. So, I was a laughing stock and a loser! - Helen |