Creative Nonfiction by Andrea Badgley
It was 12℉ (-11℃) this morning when our daughter and I pulled out of the garage at 5:10 to drive to swim practice. Less than 12 hours prior, when we were on our way home from swim practice, she told me she wanted to start going to morning practices on Wednesdays. “They do power towers … Continue reading Frozen swim gear
Dear Swimming, As much as I complain about you — about the middle of the night wakeups, about the cost, about the 3-day swim meets where we spend 18 hours at the pool for 12 minutes of our daughter swimming — I love you dearly. I abandoned you for many years. I used a tread … Continue reading Love Letter to Swimming
I think a lot. My mind is always going. Words and thoughts run and run and run through my head. When I’m in the shower, ideas come to me. When I run, I turn problems over in my brain. Tuesday, when I went for a swim, I had a couple of problems I planned to … Continue reading Blissfully blank
Our ten-year-old daughter has been swimming on the H2Okies swim team for about 3 years now. She loves it not for the winning, or even the chance to win (she doesn’t win), but because she is at home in the water, because she has fun, and because she gets to hang out on deck with … Continue reading Exciting news from the pool deck
Pop tunes pump through the Christiansburg Aquatic Center — songs with catchy lyrics, strong beats, and lots of energy — our 10 year old daughter’s favorite kind of music. She has, against my will, made me love these songs. Justin Bieber? I get excited when his latest comes on the radio. Justin Bieber. Sigh. The … Continue reading On deck
We spent the weekend poolside at the aquatic center as our 9 year-old daughter competed in the district championship meet. I always get teary-eyed when I go to meets: athletes inspire me, especially young athletes, and most especially my own young athlete. When I get emotional I like to scribble notes about my surroundings, and … Continue reading Try not to push
