Going Belly Up

            Growing up I developed a love for the water. I can still remember getting professional swimming lessons when I was four. I can remember the feeling of accomplishment after swimming one whole lap! I was even given a small, and personalized trophy for this minor accomplishment. For the first time, I felt that my disability hadn’t kept me from succeeding in a physical activity. Over the years after my lessons, I continued to practice. The water became the one place where I felt like everyone else, a place where I could be normal.

            This development set the stage for one of the funniest things to ever happen to me as a result of my stupidity. As a high school junior I attended a pool party with a lot of my friends. At this party there was a high dive, and a regular diving board. Always being the guy looking for attention I decided to start showing off. First I wanted to try the regular diving board so I performed a handstand, and then pushed myself off vertically into the water. I quickly realized that was nothing to be proud of, so I then decided to do the same off the high dive. Everything went great! My friends were astonished and amazed. However, I decided this wasn’t enough. I had to impress all of the girls there, so I quickly got with my buddy. We developed a plan that involved him tossing me into the open water from the high dive. We got up there with everyone watching waiting to be amazed. Wesley then picked me up. Waiting to be thrown, I suddenly felt him drop me. Because of my upper body weighing more than my lower body, I turned face down toward the water on the way down. Unable to do anything, I braced myself for a mega belly flop and face plant. When I hit the water it made an extremely loud noise. Splat!! As everyone held his or her breath, I contemplated while being submerged, whether I was ok. It knocked the wind out of me, but I quickly started swimming toward the wall embarrassed and in some pain. Looking back I see how dumb of an idea that was. Yet it was also funny and I will always remember the day I decided to go belly down and almost ended up, “belly up!”