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Aztec Gold Online News

Aztec Gold Online News

Aztec Gold Online News

Aztec Profiles: Myranda Castillo/Sophomore swimmer aims for regionals again

By Ariana Arredondo

 

Every sound echoes and bounces off the walls of the pool as students dive into the water with a splash. Sophomore Myranda Castillo knows what it feels like to be so nervous and focused, that what you’re about to do feels surreal. With her feet clinging to the diving board, a loud noise pulls her out of her trance. The voice on the loudspeaker tells her to take her mark. In the next second, she leaps and starts the race.

 

Sound intimidating? Maybe. But for Castillo, who has been swimming competitively for 10 years, this is her reality before every swim meet. Her love for the water goes back to the first time she jumped into a YMCA pool for her first swim meet.

 

“ There wasn’t really a reason to do it. It was just something my mom tried to put me in as a sport and I loved it and kept doing it because I had a passion for it,” Castillo said.

 

Swimming was once just a fun hobby for young Castillo but she quickly fell in love with it. Last year, her best swim was in the 50-meter swim with a time of 30 seconds and now she’s working hard to beat it.

 

“There are times that I feel like it is very hard because you keep giving it your all and sometimes you don’t get the results you want,‘’ Castillo said.

 

Castillo hopes to qualify at the district swim meet again this year and continue to improve herself. Her freshman year, Castillo qualified for regionals at her first ever district-level swimming competition. She was one of only two freshmen to qualify on behalf of El Dorado.

 

“I was scared, but excited because it was my first time going to regionals…It was very hard for a freshman to get to that point in their athletic career and I was very proud of myself,” Castillo said.

 

At regionals, she competed in the 200-meter freestyle relay along with seniors Camila Douglas, Sara Morales and sophomore Athziry Hernandez. Hard practices and workouts will get her prepared to make a run at regionals and beyond this year with her teammates.

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