I remember the excitement and bit of nervousness I felt when I first joined my swim team. It was the summer recreational team that many kids in my community joined when they reached swimming age, which was around 5 or 6. Walking in with a million questions running through my mind: would it be as fun as I hoped it would be, would the coaches be nice, and, most importantly, would everyone like me? But over the years, those questions became less and less important. Being a member of the team, I realized, was more about the people I was with and how they challenged me to be a better teammate and person. I truly never realized the impact this group of people would have on me when I first joined as a young child.

First of all, thank you to my coaches who brought the team together and challenged us all to constantly improve ourselves. Thank you for supporting me and pushing me to strive to be my best self. You saw my potential and didn't give up on me. Thank you for making me feel important, strong, and unstoppable. Without you, I might not have ever realized my goals. Thank you for putting in the extra effort and time to make each of us feel special and valued. It’s no easy task dealing with a bunch of wild and emotional kids every day, but you made it look easy. I looked up to you as a role model, so thank you for taking on that role with dignity and humilty.

And of course, thank you to my teammates, my absolutely crazy, but equally wonderful teammates who grew to be more like family as the years progressed. Without you, I would not be who I am today. We fought, we laughed, we cried, and we celebrated together over the years, learning each other's flaws and strengths and learning to love each other more because of them. It wasn't always easy and simple, though. We faced serious conflicts that seemed to tear us apart, but in the end, made us stronger and brought us closer together. Thank you to my teammates for providing me with support in difficult times and encouraging me to work to achieve my best. I couldn't have imagined a better group of people to grow up alongside. I feel lucky and blessed to have found a team like you.

Through our wins and our losses, we stayed together and continued to work hard. Our ups and our downs only brought us closer as a family. We learned how to be better people and better teammates from each other. So thank you to my teammates and my team, for providing me with a home away from home. And thank you for being my family through it all.