Have you ever swum (swum? That’s a word?) a mile?
How about two or three miles?
Diana Nyad
Diana Nyad, 64, made the more-than-100-mile trip from Cuba to Florida—by swimming the whole way!
Hallucinating from exhaustion and hypothermia, stung by a jellyfish, her throat closing up from the sea’s salt water, she kept on swimming for 53 hours. This was not her first try. It was her fifth, and you can watch an inspiring interview with her on npr.org. [Parents, you may want to check out the 15-minute video.]
Diana Nyad was not alone; she had five support boats from which she received her meals while floating in the water. Her support teams helped her train and were with her day and night during the 110-mile excursion. She was not allowed in the boat nor could she even touch it because she had to keep swimming to accomplish her feat, but she could swim up to the boat to get her meals, water, and any medications and support she needed.
Now it’s your turn: If you had a great support team, what would you attempt? It doesn’t have to be something physical like Diana Nyad swimming over 110 miles; it can be anything that feels big and important and almost impossible to you.
Write about what you would do, how you would try to accomplish it, and whom you would like to have on your team supporting you.
Looking for more intriguing high school prompts? Follow this link >>
Would you like some fun middle school prompts? Follow this link >>
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Diana Nyad photo: www.diananyad.com.
