Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
Splash!
Chapter 1: Making the Entry
Ever since I was a little girl, I've always had a dream that I would one day sprout wings and fly. The closest thing I have to that is very close to my heart. As well as being 10m above the ground, for the few seconds I have from takeoff to my entry into the water I feel that freedom within my grasp. So what am I you ask? Well, I am a diver.
My name is Marina, Marina E. Manoukatakis, and I have been diving competitively for as long as I can remember. It was divers like Laura Wilkinson and Meaghan Benfeito that got me into the sport. My friends tell me that I don't look like an athlete with my oval wire-frame glasses, and my mane of dark brown curls that got down to my back.
Away from the pool, I have the usual things in life I have to work on one of them being school. My grades got into an exchange program to study in Japan for my junior and senior year. I am not out to judge people, and make it look like I am better than them. If anything, after diving practice I will to settle down with a book or my Dell laptop.
So why do I dive? Simply put, it's fun. Well, sure the entire student body, mostly guys, are staring at your butt yet the point is that feeling of the takeoff and the feeling of being in the air as you perform your routine. The cheers of the crowd after a good entry into the water is the best sound to hear. It gives you the feeling you did your best.
In truth, diving is 80% mental and 20% physical. It's about concentration, and being focused. In my mind, if you can stay focused with so many eyes watching you, you can do anything you set your mind to. It was this mindset that got me on a plane ticket to Japan. My teacher gave me the choice between Iwatobi High and Samezuka Academy.
I'm from Hercules, California. It's not a big town on the Bay Area, so I chose to go to Iwatobi High School. Small schools make it easier to get to know people and teachers. I have to say my high school went above and beyond to help me settle down. I thought I was staying with a homestay family. They rented me a studio flat near the school.
Back in California, I would go to the Diving Club in Walnut Creek to practice. As I was walking to school for my first day, I noticed the high school I am attending had a pool which means there is a swim team. The problem was there was no diving platform or springboard. That means I'm going to have to look around town for a place to practice.
I met with the principal of Iwatobi High School this morning, "-It is good to have you attending our school, I think it is time we had some more diversity, even if I have given up trying to pronounce your last name-," He said with a smile, I lightly chuckled at his joke, and bowed and shook his hand, "-welcome to Iwatobi High School, Marina-san-,"
"-Thank you very much, I will do my best here-," I said, and exited his office to find my homeroom teacher Miss Amakata. I walked through the halls of the school looking for the classroom. I slid open the door, and peaked my head inside wondering if I was in the right room. The teacher looked at me with a smile, and gestured me to come on in.
"Class, I want you all to give a warm welcome to our new student from America, Marina Manou...Manoukata...Manoukatakis, yes! I got it!" said my homeroom teacher, all the students stood up and bowed to me, and I bowed back to show respect, "I'm going to call you Manou-chan, if that's fine with you," she said, I nodded yes seeing it can't hurt.
I was directed to a window seat. I could feel someone looking at me, but I didn't pay attention to it. Maybe it's because my last name makes me sound like I'm from another planet? The first day went by smoothly with my first homework assignments. It was your typical first day of classes, and my introduction to a new kind of high school system.
I had to wear a uniform, and stand and bow to the teacher when she enters the room and when class ends. Classes are more advanced, especially in math. My math classes in America were not exactly helping. It's a good thing I kept notes. In truth, when you come to a new setting you learn life skills such as settling down in a new environment.
After triple-checking my math and going over my notes from literature class and doing the required readings, I turned on my Dell laptop and began looking around for a place to practice. All and all, the students here seem cool and 'Manou-chan' seemed to stick with them as their way to remember who I am in class. I think I'm going to like it here.
Iwatobi High School Student Profile:
Name: Marina Eftychia Manoukatakis
Nicknames: 'Marina-chan', 'Manou-chan'
Height: 5'3
Weight: 112lbs
Age: 16 (going on 17)
Blood Type: O
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Brown
Nationality: Greek-American
Likes: Diving, reading in her spare time,
Dislikes: Onions
Small Notes: Her most prized possession is the inside cover in the back of her school notebook that has the autographs of many famous divers including Greg Louganis, Laura Wilkinson, Tania Cagnotto, Meaghan Benfeito, and Christina Loukas. It helps her have confidence as both an athlete in the pool and student in class.