Srijita Sarkar envisioning her future journey under the water.

“I’m going to give it my all,” Srijita told herself as she stared at the deep blue water in front of her, motivating herself for her first race. Throughout the race, as she propelled as fast as she could, all feelings of nervousness vanished and she focused on the excitement and thrill of dashing through the water to reach the finish line.

Srijita competed in her first swim race at ten years old and she immediately caught interest in the sport.

Over the years, she worked with various coaches who benefited her growth. She remembered one coach in particular who was her favorite because she “put in a lot of work to help with her technique and helped [her learn] a lot of new things”.

A few years later in her swimming journey, Srijita became a varsity swimmer on the EBHS team. The team won the GMC Championship meet during her second year which is her favorite memory. She remembered the interactive environment of the meet and all the aspects which made it fun, such as the coaches jumping into the pool and “being able to swim with her friends and work towards goals [together]”. She also noted that “everyone is a team” and the overall atmosphere is very enjoyable.

At some point from this victory to her first race six years ago, Srijita has developed a true passion for swimming and will likely   continue it for years to come. This is only the start of her journey under the water.