Charles (or Charlie, as he prefers to be known) in Grade 7 is part of the GESS middle school swim team. He chats with us on participating in the ACSIS swim competition, and other hobbies he cultivates at GESS.
Hi Charlie, could you introduce yourself, tell us how long you have been in GESS, and what are some of your personal pursuits and passion, in and out of school?
Hello, I am Charlie. I am 12 years old and from Germany. I joined GESS in 2015, making this my 10th year at GESS. My passion is swimming, which I have loved from a very young age. I also very much enjoy cycling. Another of my pursuits is playing the guitar, which I really enjoy. I also have an interest in learning about astro-physics, hoping to make that a future career.
We know you participated in the ACSIS middle school swimming competition – tell us about your experience. What was your preparation and training like for this?
The competition was nerve-wracking. There were a lot of challenges I had to face. Like pre-swim anxiety, or worrying about not getting past the qualifying rounds, or even fretting about diving before the beep. But I felt really happy and motivated, because I had all my friends, my mom and my coach there cheering for the team. When I had pre-swim anxiety while waiting in marshalling, I would talk to my fellow swimmers, which calmed me down while letting me make a good connection with other athletes.
For my training, it was tough. I recently got into a promotional trial to swim in an upper squad. And it has been quite challenging. We swim six times a week. Training on Mondays and Wednesdays start at 6.30am before school. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, we train from 4.30pm to 7pm, with land training before we hit the pool. Not forgetting Saturdays, training from as early as 8am. Each day, we might practise different strokes or all of them. But one thing I believe in, there is always room for improvement.
What do you like most about being on the GESS swim team?
I love swimming since I was a toddler (according to my mom!). The feeling when gliding through water or blasting through it, creates so much adrenaline in me. I love being with my swim mates too, counting some very close friends on the team, enjoying our time spent pacing during a set, talking, and so on.
While swimming is quite an individual sport, we train and work hard together. The times when swimming calls for teamwork is when we swim relay – which is four people each swimming 50 or 100 metres, either freestyle or medley.
What about other hobbies and passion you find time for? How do you balance your time and manage school work? Are your teachers giving you the support you need?
Teachers are giving me enough support for me to commit to my swim pursuits. For example, when I have morning training, the teachers understand I need time to get to class, so they start doing registration around 8am. The times I have morning training, some teachers allow me to have a quick bite like a protein bar in class, to replenish my energy.
I manage my schoolwork quite well. It helps that my teachers assign homework with sufficient time for us to complete it. If there are assignments with shorter timelines, and I have afternoon training, I am able to self-motivate and get started on my homework at the pool side while waiting for training to start.
What is your favourite part about being at GESS? Is there anything else you wish you have more time to do?
Through my years at GESS, I’ve seen a lot of my friends come and go. But every year, when new students come, I make new friends. I do have one friend who has stayed with me throughout my journey, since Grade 3. That is Neil, my closest friend. I love to hang out with him, we always do stuff together, and eat together at break and lunch times, with more of my friends. My favourite part about being at GESS is definitely being with my friends. Things I wish I have more time to do are also related to them – to play video games or watch F1 ‘live’ together! Also, to hang out with or get a quick bite with my friends after school.
