Eli Meron '21 Recruiting Profile

My heart is in this. I am ready for the days that will have me beat up and gasping for air at the wall. I am prepared to be consistent even when it is hard. I know they make me stronger and will eventually lead to the time I need on the board. Those are the days where I find myself. They give me purpose. They help instill the character I need to become successful. They build me. The whole notion of training - pushing the human body to its very limits in an attempt to achieve peak performance - is really nothing physical at all when you break it down. The true interior drive of this bizarre behavior is not physical at all. If it was we would all stop training once we have reached our first goal. The true purpose of training is to perfect the mind and work out all the kinks in order to achieve a full body-mind connection that allows for an attitude that will move mountains. I think it takes a special type of person to stare at the floor for three hours in complete isolation and be alone with their thoughts. Traveling endlessly in the gravity-free plane of existence that is only real when inside the pool. It is unique. I was always an anxious kid. Any sort of stimulus would trigger me into a panic attack or a nervous breakdown. It intrigues me that the sport I decided to pursue at the age of 12 was swimming because it is the only sport that gets rid of almost all external stimulation. Freeing you of your senses. Leaving you be. There is no sound in the meditative state of swimming. Only the rhythmic thumping of your hands that add to the hypnotic effect of swimming. There is no smell underwater. Not even the chlorine gets through. There is no sight when I closed my eyes during a hard set to see something in me no one else can. There is no taste while I bite the rubber off my snorkel distracting me from the pain. There is no touch in the unexplainable feeling of water... It healed me, made me strong, got rid of the constant doubt that was controlling me. It built my confidence and allowed me to prove to myself that I am Eli: A person who is committed to good and will fight for the truth within himself and within the world no matter what. I know that I will be an asset to the college I decide to swim and study for because I am an extremely committed swimmer, a serious student, and an overall positive person who enjoys lifting other people up and making people smile. Friendly competition in practice is one of the ways I bond with my teammates and I would help uplift the team with a positive spirit. I am excited to become a part of the team and form close friendships with my teammates. I want to be a part of a team that supports each other and has each other's backs. I would love to be a part of a community that could provide those experiences and helps me harbor my love for swimming by giving me the opportunities to promote my way of expression through training and other activities that help me be the best I can be. I would like to end this with a quote. The definition of insanity, as Albert Einstein puts it, is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." (Einstein). Sounds like swimming to me :).