Kim Norton wrote a senior speech about her senior project of swimming 100 yards freestyle in 56 seconds for her AP Literature and Composition class. She detailed her training process over the season, which included technique work, increased yardage and intensity during winter training, and challenges like injuries and nutrition. Through focused training with her coach Landon Harris, she was able to drop her time from 57.07 to achieve her goal. She learned the importance of mental toughness and pushing through pain to accomplish goals.

1. Kim Norton
AP Literature and Composition
Ms. Corbett
Senior Speech
“Swimmers, take your marks.” Then the whistle. The swimmers were in the water, racing
in seemingly pointless circles to see who would be the fastest relay. Our relay was a half a length
behind the leader when I stepped on the blocks. It was the last meet of the season and I
desperately wanted to win. The person in the water touched the wall and I dove off the blocks. I
could see the girl in the lane next to me and was determined to beat her. At the flip, we were tied
and I pulled out all the stops to win the relay by less than a second. That was the best race of my
life. My senior project was to swim a one-hundred yard freestyle race in fifty-six seconds. To
give you some perspective, I want you to imagine a football field. Now, take out the end zones
so you are left with just the one hundred yard field. One hundred yards, three hundred feet, in
fifty-six seconds. It is certainly not as easy as it sounds.
The topic of my research paper was the problems a swimmer would face in any event
they chose to swim, but more specifically in the one hundred yard freestyle race.
The research paper actually prepared me for the certain challenges that I would face during my
senior project. I knew that it would not be easy by any means to accomplish my product, but
knowing exactly what I would encounter helped me be better mentally prepared. For example,
whenever I used to race a one hundred yard freestyle, I would simply sprint the entire thing
because it is classified as a sprint race. However, through my research and speaking to my coach
and project facilitator, I learned that there are innumerable things that I must keep in mind during
a fifty-six second time frame. I had to be mindful of my underwater dolphin kicks, how I was

2. pulling water, my kicks, when to breathe, and everything else. An interesting fact that I
discovered during my research was that different people have individualized strokes. Even
among sprinters, there are subtle differences in their pulls and kicks.
My product was to swim a one hundred yard freestyle in fifty-six seconds, but the fastest
time I had was a 57.07. I chose to do this because swimming is a major part of my life and I
chose to do set a definitive time standard to meet to give me a set goal and as a product for my
senior project. The process of making that time was an incredibly long and labor-intensive one.
The swim season started in mid-August and for the first few months, my coach, Landon Harris,
started getting us back in shape from our break. There was more emphasis on land training and
strengthening unused muscles than speed at that point. Once the initial shock of being incredibly
out of shape had passed, there was more focus on technique work. Technique work highlights a
single part of the stroke and the swimmer has to concentrate on only that aspect to make sure that
they are doing it to the best of their ability. The tricky part of technique work is that after the drill
set is over, you must continue to focus on that aspect so that you do not go back to old habits.
Once the holiday season rolls around, it is time to buckle down and get serious. While we are out
of school, there are two practices a day: one at five in the morning and another in the afternoon.
The yardage and intensity of the workouts skyrocket to challenge not only your physical
endurance but your mental endurance as well. Winter training is my least favorite part of the
training season because I struggle with being mentally tough. During previous training seasons
once I start to get tired from the set, I often want to quit or slack off because I do not want to be
in pain. This season, however, I had a specific goal in my mind that I wanted to attain instead of
a vague “I want to go faster” mindset. This definite purpose gave me something to think about
other than my sore, tired muscles. After the holiday season is over, practices return to only once

3. a day, but the intensity remains about the same. Sectionals and State meets take place this time of
the year, so we taper accordingly. Once those meets are over, the summer training period is just
around the corner, so we have to increase our workouts to prepare for it. This includes more
strenuous land workouts and swimming with shirts and shoes. Swimming with shirts and shoes
greatly increases the resistance you feel in the water and must thus work harder to maintain your
speed. This is my favorite part of the season because I adore swimming with shoes on; I enjoy
the added challenge. In an ironic turn of events, I developed a knee injury that made it painful to
kick so I had to forgo the kick sets sometimes and pull instead. My project facilitator was
Landon Harris. I chose him because he is my swim coach and would be the person that would
most likely achieve my goal of swimming a one-hundred yard freestyle in fifty-six seconds. He
helped me by coaching me during the season and giving me pointers at meets. I encountered
numerous problems in trying to make my product. First and foremost, I was not mentally tough.
My entire career as a swimmer, I have struggled with not being able to mentally endure certain
aspects of practice or meets that last three days; I tend to get caught up in how much my muscles
hurt rather than focusing on getting the task at hand done. This season was better because I had a
specific goal to work towards. Another problem that occurred in the latter part of the season was
a knee injury. This makes it painful to dive off the blocks, kick during a race, or anything
involving the movement of my knee. Racing became something of a challenge for me until I
realized that the faster I raced, the faster I could stop using my knee. As a result of this new
found knowledge, at my last meet of the season, I made all best times. Another challenge that I
faced was eating well. As a swimmer, I need to fuel my body in a manner that will help me gain
muscle and swim faster; however, I have a difficult time doing this. I would more often opt for

4. sugary foods than more nutritious foods. I began drinking protein shakes in order to supplement
my diet and to help me gain muscle which is another problem for me.
From this process, I have learned that I can push through the pain during workouts by
simply not thinking about it or by having a single goal in mind that I want to achieve. I have also
learned that mental toughness carries over into every aspect of life, not just swimming. I plan on
continuing to drop time in my one-hundred freestyle race and qualify for NAIA Championships
as a freshman in college since I am only .18 seconds away from qualifying.
To sum it all up, this has been an amazing, eye-opening experience. Although there were
times that I seriously wanted to quit and never even think about a pool again, I stuck with it and
am extremely proud of what I accomplished. Landon even commented at my last meet that this
has been my best season since I have been swimming with him and that I finally learned to “deal
with it” in his words. There are times in our lives that we have to “deal with it” to put it loosely.
These trials are what make us who we are and will make us stronger people. Thank you for your
time.