University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bathing Suits & Bulldog Bites: Alejandra Sanchez
07.21.2016 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Ale Sanchez
Rising JR
Free, Back & Fly
Mexico City, Mexico: After a long period of being away from home, I finally returned to my family in Mexico City. My sophomore year at UNC Asheville was filled with learning both in the classroom, and the pool. I made some new friends, had a lot of fun hiking to some really beautiful places in Asheville and playing soccer in the rain. Even though my second year of college was amazing, I was glad to be home and take a little break from school to see my family and friends. I left Asheville with the goal of returning in good shape to be able to contribute to my team next season.
My first two weeks in Mexico were all about exploring the city with a former teammate, Alexandra van Dorsten. We walked around famous streets in Mexico City, visited an old castle, climbed some pyramids, and drove to one of Tuxpan's beaches.
Since returning home, I joined the AOFM Swim Team. This was a huge change from what I was used to in Asheville. First of all, going from short course yards to long course meters was a bit challenging the first week! The difference in altitude didn't help much either, but I've gotten used to it , and I really enjoy swimming with this team. Even though practices are hard, my teammates make the time fly by.
In mid-June, I had my first summer swim meet. It was good to see some of my friends I haven't seen in a while. I also had forgotten how crowded the pool gets during warm up. If you think swimming in the same lane with a big sprinter guy is a struggle, try swimming in the lane with a bunch of eight and under kids! I had to practice some of my passing skills to not kill or be killed. With my last meet being in February, this meet reminded me how much I love racing. And the downtime waiting for my events was well spent getting to know my teammates better. Overall it was a good meet; I swam some fast early season times and went best times in the 50 back and 50 free.
I am looking forward to next year. Good luck to everyone this summer and I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am. See you all in August.
