Just Keep Swimming


Twelve-year-old Monica Saili loves swimming. She is one of the top young swimmers in New Zealand. She may be part fish.

Well, the fish part probably isn't true. But the only other explanation for why she's so good is because she trains so hard.

She's at the pool for two hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 5:00 a.m. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday she runs track or cross-country after school.

Her least favorite swimming drill is having to do the butterfly stroke with just one arm, keeping her chin up, and alternating arms every 100 meters. "Your shoulders really burn," she says.

But she's learned that when the going gets hard, giving up doesn't make life easier. Doing the hard work is what makes her stronger.