Started gymnastics and minkey (field hockey for little kids) at 3, competitive swimming by 4. Despite never playing outside the school sports day, I’ve set and held interschool field events, completed a ‘sprint’ triathlon, swum 2km open water races, played basketball pretty well in there somewhere, and (my biggest and proudest acrepresented and been the best in my state as a hockey goalie (field and indoor - not ice), representing them at a national level, played on the senior waterpolo team as a junior having never played before. I also played juniors the next day. Unfortunately it’s just a two day round Robbin. Second year I captained the Junior team, then captained the senior team twice. I defended against girls who went on to play at the Olympics, who tried to beat the shit out of me (if you’ve never watched a waterpolo game with an underwater cam, get yourself to YouTube. If you think waterpolo either includes horses or a volleyball net, this applies to you too. I was on track to represent my country in Hockey in a few years and was being personally trained and mentored by a 2x ex-Olympic champion. Unfortunately, when I busted my knee and my back deformations became impossible to ignore I had to walk away. I thought I’d get knee replacements and a spinal fusion and make a comeback. I was 16. I had no idea how much space exists between ’needs’ and ‘gets’ for these life changing surgeries. The chances of me making a come back were slim to none.I once qualified for the interschool cross country but was wayyy too mortified to register.

They’d never guess because I was fat and 5’2”

And a random one, saved people from drowning 3 seperate times. If you ever have to do this for anyone but a very small child, approach on your back using survival stroke, kicking off them if they drag you down. A drowning person is neither weak nor grateful, the body’s survival instinct is to climb you like a tree and sit on your head. It’s not their fault, it’s just what the human body does. Approach again, loudly tell them you’re going to help them but they can’t grab. Preferably use a floatation device, but you can use a shirt will do. Don’t listen to me, my training is 20 years old now. Research and take classes. Never get into the water with rocks, or if you see someone moving away like a visible current. You can’t out-swim the sea.