Welcome to Gaia! ::

It's not so much that I don't understand, it's just I can't find the time to do the HUGE amounts of homework I get. I have to stay up very late [like I'm doing right now...] to get it done, and it's hard to pay attention when I'm dead tired. Then I end up making careless mistakes in school work.

I suppose if I start getting more HW done at school though, I'll have less workload at home and that means more sleep.
Maybe I can eat lunch in the library and work there.

<3 Thanks very much for the advice!

I hope you're able to make a routine that works for you. Best wishes! heart

I know where you are coming from. Seriously.
When I was in high school I joined our school's swim team because I wanted to be involved in athletics and I thought "Oh swim team should be easy."
Oh good gods I was so wrong.
It was HARD. It sucked. Every day. I'd cry after practice because I was so sore and I felt like such a loser compared to everyone else on the swim team. But I still stuck with it because I kept thinking "You know, I thought this would be easy. It has to get easy somewhere along the line." And it never got hugely easy; I never once hopped in the pool and found myself able to swim a 100 yd backstroke in less than 2:30. But, over the course of the entire season I had managed to take it from about 3:30 to 2:30. I found, looking back, that that minute is/was quite an accomplishment as someone who never swam competitively before that year. Sometimes you don't always see how well you're doing; sometimes at the moment it's something that only someone else can appreciate and once it's all over and you're looking back, only then can you appreciate it. And yea, things feel like they're getting harder and harder because, well, they are. Practices right now are most likely being stepped up to condition people and get them in shape to actually compete. You probably don't want to look for a plateau in the difficulty of the practices until towards the end of the season.
I never swam in our League competition. I didn't swim in our Sectional meet either. I was sad, yes. But I didn't deny that in my first year I didn't have the times and the endurance to compete in those competitions without totally shaming myself (and by extension, my team).

Honestly, my first season was truly nothing to write home about. I earned my varsity letter by one point. As I've said, it was hard and tiring and I was still nowhere near where I *wanted* to be or thought I *should* be. I somehow managed to be awarded "Most Improved Swimmer" for that season, even though I didn't feel like I had improved the most (I honestly thought I had gotten it because my coach was surprised I didn't quit the team). So for the entire off-season I would go to the pool everyday after school and swim for two hours. I didn't have anything particular in mind at first; I would just jump in and swim whatever I could push myself to do for 2 hours. I learned flip-turns, starting dives (I was seriously so awful my first season that I couldn't start off the blocks. I was relegated to the 100 backstroke that entire season because it was the only start I could half-way do), I built up endurance. In the summer I joined our rec center's traveling team and that helped A LOT as well. Did I have to spend all that time? Nope. Was it worth it in the long run? Yes. Definitely yes. I went back for my second season and I was bumped up 2 lanes (we had 4 lanes, slowest swimmers in lane 1 [where I started in my first season], fastest in lane 4), I was making my timed intervals, I was starting off the block, I was competing with relay teams and doing the 100 butterfly (a few times!) and teaching other new team members how to do flip turns and better stroke technique.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say in this huge TL;DR is to really, stick with it. It's hard and generally unpleasant and it seems like you're not getting better but in reality you probably are. It's just not a huge difference in your day-to-day practice and that's why it seems like you're not getting better. If you stick with it and make the effort and don't expect it all to magically get easier overnight then you can look back at this season in the future and acknowledge that you DID put in the effort and you DID do your best. Sure you may not make sectionals or state right now. But then, I can't think of anyone who has gone to that level of competition without busting their a** and working through things no matter how hard they get. It is helpful to keep in mind that the people you see swimming at that level are NOT people who just stepped foot into the pool a week ago. They've trained hard to get that far. And you will too if that is where you desire to be.

I would totally still be swimming if I could, but I have medical issues that keep me from it. I miss it so much.

And why would you want to be Michael Phelps anyways? Have you seen the ears on that guy?? wink .

Oh good; I was afraid you'd be....angry for some reason at it sweatdrop .
<33
You can do it! blaugh

I so sick of this flu, can't it just go away already?!
I hate being sick and I hate having a head ache all the time. Then there is feeling your footsetps in head!!!

BUT I'm happy for my friends.

Not really in a bad mood... but really? You're being contradictory, and you're being insulting about it. Cute.

Because obviously when I say that I don't discuss my workings because it's personal, that means I'll discuss it with you if you ask me again via PMs. rolleyes

Anything can Happen...