by Vlada Rauner, staff writer
All his senses are dulled, it’s just him, the water, and his drive to win.
Adam Zaidi, a junior at River Hill High School, has been competitively swimming for 12 years. He has been on the Naval Academy Swim Team and ranks as the second best overall swimmer in Howard County and first in breaststroke.
This past summer he found out that he has a chance to secure a place on the Pakistani Olympic Swim Team. He was first told the news when his father returned from attending a wedding in Pakistan. “The bride’s husband turned out to be the head coach for the Pakistan team there,” says Zaidi, “and he offered me and my sister a chance to be on the team.”
At this level of competitive swimming, Adam spends two hours in the pool along with an hour of running and another hour of weightlifting on a daily basis. With all of these activities Adam’s free time is limited. “I haven’t hung out with friends since my drivers education class,” which he took last summer. “It sounds like a constant excuse to not to go to stuff but it’s the honest truth,” he explains.
On top of this, he has had to handle a strenuous junior year workload. Adam is taking three AP classes and three GT classes this year. With this immense amount of homework he often goes through his day on less than six hours of sleep.
When it comes to other swimmers applying to get onto the Pakistani team, Zaidi has an advantage. “Nobody there trains as hard as me, and I think that practice does indeed make perfect,” he explains. “I think that if I put in a high level of dedication, than I can go almost anywhere.”
Swimming at this level will tire even the best out. “I hate swimming half the year… I just get sick of it sometimes.” Despite these temporary feelings of doubt, he keeps pushing himself to be the best that he can be.
Swimming has been a part of Adam’s life for a very long time, but it isn’t the only thing that is bright in his future. “I also want to pursue a career in engineering,” he continues.
Even with his busy schedule he has maintained a high GPA throughout high school, making sure not to waste his education. “I’ve come so far,” he says, “I don’t want to go back now”.