"I'd go to swim practice, put my face in the water, and I didn't have to talk to anybody. Swimming was like my escape, but it was also like this huge prison because I felt like I had to swim up to people's standards"
- Amanda Beard
About this Quote
In this quote, Amanda Beard is assessing her complex relationship with swimming, a sport that substantially shaped her life and career. Beard uses vivid images to explain the dual nature of swimming in her life, framing it both as a sanctuary and a prison.
When Beard states, "I 'd go to swim practice, put my face in the water, and I didn't need to talk with anyone," she is highlighting swimming as an escape from the needs and pressures of daily life or social interactions. The water supplies her with privacy and peace, creating an area where she can be alone with her ideas, free from external pressures or expectations. It suggests that swimming gives her a special kind of liberty and tranquility, reminiscent of a meditative practice where she can focus entirely on herself and the rhythms of her strokes.
Nevertheless, regardless of being a refuge, swimming likewise ends up being a "huge jail" for Beard. Making use of the word "prison" suggests a sense of entrapment and commitment. While water provides solace, it concurrently enforces a concern of expectations. Beard feels forced to satisfy the high standards set by others, possibly those of coaches, fans, and even her own self-imposed standards. This part of the quote underscores the pressure that typically accompanies competitive sports; athletes, while passionate about their sport, can feel shackled by the unrelenting pursuit of excellence and success.
The juxtaposition of escape and entrapment in Beard's reflection paints a poignant photo of the professional athlete's experience. It highlights the delicate balance between enthusiasm and pressure, highlighting the psychological and psychological complexities dealt with by athletes. Beard's words provide insight into the frequently conflicting emotions that accompany expert sports: happiness and passion sprinkled with pressure and expectation, making her experience deeply relatable and human.
This quote is written / told by Amanda Beard somewhere between October 29, 1981 and today. He/she was a famous Athlete from USA.
The author also have 12 other quotes.
"Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison"
"I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator"
"One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny"
