He Beat His Goal

This is a poem about how succeeding in something doesn't always mean you have to win and be the best, but rather improve yourself and acheive your own personal goals for yourself. It was written after my High School years of competative swimming and reflects what I learned about myself and about the joy of competing in the sport of swimming.



He Beat His Goal

The noise of the crowd continues to roar
The towels are dropped and laying on the floor
The hair has just fallen with a slice of a razor
The red, white and blue are hanging above the water

A squirt of oil slaps the skin
He tightens his suit and looks up with a grin
The goggles are cocked and the cap set in place
The whistle blows to call the next race

The deep concentration runs up his spine
As the heat steps up all in a line
Down to his mark motionless as steel
He thinks to himself "Is this for real?"

The race one more time runs through his mind
As they explode off the block it's just him against time
Through the water he pulls with all of his might
Looks at the competition and goes on with the fight

Coming to the end breathing without air
Adrenalin pumping and nothing to spare
He reaches out hard with his very last pull
He didn't take first but he BEAT HIS GOAL

Jarom Lee Thurston November 1993