The document is a reflective piece by Charlotte Blacksley about her identity as both a swimmer and student. She discusses feeling more confident in her swimming costume than normal clothes. As a swimmer, she feels a need to succeed and set a good example for her siblings. Her daily routine involves waking up early for training. She notes having two different personalities as a student and swimmer, with different cultural practices for each role. Her family influenced her to take up swimming at a young age. Music also plays a big role in motivating her for competitions.

1. The swimmer and me: how I see and am seen (identity and representation) By Charlotte Blacksley Charlotte Blacksley

2. The swimmer in me... As a person I am generally a down to earth girl, I do as I’m told, I’m not as confident as a person and I’m a respectful student. As a swimmer I am a strong minded, well focused, I like to talk to the lifeguard due to being so social and confident in my swimming costume. Charlotte Blacksley I different in my swimming costume then a I am in my clothes. I feel so much more confident in my swimming costume because I have grown up in them and swimming has taught me to love my body and love me as a person. I may have to believe in myself that I can do great things in my swimming that many other people cannot do if they didn’t swim such as be a swim at a national level or teach young swimmers to be great ones. As someone once said ‘Never judge a book by its cover’ its always the inside that counts.

3. Young and learning Being young and learning to swim is the easiest part of swimming. Some people at natural at being able to swim, some are not as capable. My parents didn’t see swimming as a higher upper class sport they saw it as something that would save my life as they have learnt through past experiences. Charlotte Blacksley

4. Me as a swimmer As a swimmer I have high expectations all around. Due to being the oldest in my family I also have to set aims and standards high. I have to influence my siblings to be a sports fanatic and want to do the best at it. I am expected to influence my siblings because in our society today that is what is expected of being older; setting standards and always supporting the younger and always being there for them. I know it is not just me who has to set them its also my mum and dad. They have to make sure I am always on ball and take me to training when I have to go. The are a big part of my swimming life and they spend most of it at the pool or in the car. Charlotte Blacksley I have an emotional response to the way I swim, if I swim bad I feel terrible however if I swim well it isn’t good enough.

5. Growing The culture surrounding swimming is as a practice. Your up at 5 swimming by 6-7:30 sixth form throughout the day back at the pool by 6-8 and half an hour land training or in the gym. People see me everyday going up and down the pool being shouted at by coaches, they shout to make me better and succeed. The relationship between me and my coach is rather wobbly most of the time. We get along but when its a serious talk about something other than swimming. Being an older swimmer my coach expects the older squad to be mature and fast at all time and be prepared to win 24/7. I see swimming as a popular culture sport because since the Olympics 2008 there has seen a raise in public swimming. The popularity of sporting as a whole has increased. Charlotte Blacksley

6. Charlotte Blacksley Swimmer vs. Student Swimming in the morning; waking up as a swimmer but as soon as I leave the pool I am in student mode. I have to be ready and dressed by 8 o’clock. When I am a student I encode that I do wear a bit of make up and I do pick out my clothes making sure they match. I have two sides of my personality: As a student I show my ‘clever’ side instead of sporty side. There isn’t many sports clubs at our sixth form The cultural practises I go through as a student are: Staying in Lessons Homework Sixth form On one side of my personality it shows my commitment and my dedication. The cultural practises I go through as a swimmer are: Gym Swimming Galas Parties

7. The team and me... We as a team are supportive we are like a big family. We share our highs and lows with each other. As being one of few older swimmers in the squad we have few social groups within the club. We have the young little new swimmers who are just finding their feet you, then we have to talkative 14 year olds who just have too much to say and then you have the older more experienced group who look out for the younger squad. In the picture, the connotation which it encodes are that I don't mind a little fun, drawing on my arms and faces but at the same time I do want my hair to look nice and not to look too red in the face. I do take care of my self presentation when I'm at swimming and at sixth form but I'm just a little bit more relaxed about how I look. Charlotte Blacksley

10. The family who have influenced me and swimming Mother &Father- both have been previous club swimmers. They only did it for fun and to keep up good fitness. My Mum and Dad both see swimming as being able to save your life, everyone wants to be able to swim and be able to float and keep on top of the water. They got me into the water at 4 months and chucked me under the water and I have been doing it ever since. Brother- My brother started in my footsteps. Due to my parents being rather sporty they want all their children to be able to swim and do as much sports as they can. Some people may see this as a social pressure. Charlotte Blacksley

11. At a swimming gala Depending where you are and what pool you are at you will do a land warm up, a pool warm up and mentally warm up. After both sexes have warmed up the national anthem is played; people stand and sing and at the end everyone claps and cheers. This song influences swimming because it makes you feel proud to be British. The main reason we can have the gala is the lifeguards. Carrying out a questionnaire on what they think about swimmers over half of them thought they were ‘stuck up’ and ‘messy’. This is just a stereotype of a swimmer, we walk on poolside and never really talk to them so they find us rude but its our NVC which is being portrayed here. Charlotte Blacksley

12. Charlotte Blacksley Student Other students feel as though if I do swimming I don’t have a social life If I wear make up and dress up can I still be taken as a serious swimmer? Crazy Fashionable Dedicated Ambitious Swimmer Yes, we are all in the same situation and believe it is nice to dress up once in a while Click on black screen

13. Other influences... Music is a big part in a swimmers life. It calms, excites and soothes you. There are a few songs which I replay all the time at swimming gala competitions Girlfriend- Avril Lavigne- its such a motivation song, a brilliant beat to it and it has so much energy put into it. http://www.avrillavigne.com/uk/node/443 Chasing cars by snow patrol- calms me and makes me emotional which is a good thing because the more frustrated I am the better I feel because it makes muscular pain disappear. Pink perfect has inspired me to what makes me happy; not to just please everyone else. http://www.muzu.tv/pink/fkin-perfect-perfect-music-video/883451?country=ww&locale=en Charlotte Blacksley

14. Bibliography http://www.avrillavigne.com/uk/node/443 http://www.muzu.tv/pink/fkin-perfect-perfect-musicvideo/883451?country=ww&locale=en Previous presentations "You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get...“-Michael Phelps Charlotte Blacksley