Respectme

I’d always enjoyed swimming and when I was old enough to join the local sports club, I joined the swimming club too.

Everything was great; I made a circle of new friends and was training for my first regional competition.  I was getting better too; the coach was always praising me and telling me what “high hopes” he had for me.  This seemed to annoy one of the other kids who wasn’t doing as well as me but I decided to ignore the comments – I knew I was doing well and my parents were really proud of me.

But after a few weeks, it started getting to me.  I wanted to go to the pool but every time I went there I knew I’d get the same abuse and nasty comments, or my goggles would go ‘missing’ or I’d be ‘accidentally’ pushed into the pool and I couldn’t face it.  My other friends at the pool laughed it off so I didn’t want to make a big deal of things.  But eventually I started making excuses not to go and my parents couldn’t understand why my enthusiasm had suddenly gone.  But how could I tell them I was being bullied by a girl?!

I was getting used to the fact that I’d never be going back there and although I was upset about it, it was easier to deal with than the bullying.  Then a couple of weeks later, the coach came to my house.  He was talking to my parents about how well I’d been doing and how it was a shame that I wasn’t going any more.  He tried to persuade me to go back – and I really wanted to – but I couldn’t.  But my mum noticed that I was hiding something, and after a while I told the truth. 

I was so embarrassed.  Boys are meant to be stronger than girls and I was scared of this one!  But they all made me see that it wasn’t my fault and it certainly wasn’t something to be ashamed of.  We agreed that I’d go back to swimming and the coach would have a word with the girl about her behaviour.  Things were a bit frosty between us at first but now I can go and swim without worrying about what might happen while I’m there.  I still keep pretty much to myself but I feel safer.