High Five

High Five

Okay. Okay. You can do this, I think as I stand atop the wobbling board. It was only two feet
higher than my original board, why was it so hard? This one was seven feet above the water.
Oh why did I climb up here? I briefly considered climbing back down, but the lifeguard put
the bar down so nobody could climb up while I was still on there. But, that also means there
was only one way down. I’m shaking and forget what my instructors taught me. Dive like an
airplane? No. Cannon ball? No. Wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care?
Definitely not. I take a nervous breath when it come to me. In my favorite movie series,
Pirates of the Bahamas, if they have to walk off the plank they confidently bounce off the end
of the board, leep mid-air, and put their arms above their head and dive. The movies are the
reason I started taking diving classes. I took a deep breath, arched my arm and before I knew
it I felt the water hitting my face as I met the surface. Cheers erupted from either side. When I
got to the ladder, my coach is waiting for me. We high five, and wait for the scores. 10, 10, 10!
What a great way to end my first competition this high up. I’d be happy even if I didn’t get
10’s. I did my best and that’s all that matters.