Swimming is a competitive sport played around the world and on many different levels,
including the Olympics. It's also an easy sport to do on your own， both for fun and for
exercise. Many doctors and athletes agree that swimming is one of the best workouts you
can give your body, because it works almost on all of your major muscle groups at the same
time.
Since you're floating in the water and not in contact with any hard surfaces, there's less
pressure on your joints and bones. You're less likely to suffer injuries than with other sports.
There are many ways to push yourself and get better as a swimmer. If you're into speed, you
can race the clock and see how long it takes you to do a certain number of laps. If you're into
endurance, you can slow down and see how many laps you can do before you have to take a
rest.
Many teenagers like swimming best. One of the students says, "The best part about
swimming is when you beat your time. It doesn't even matter if you lose the race as long as
you tried your best; you can walk away with a smile on your face. When you're in the water
you forget that people may be watching and all you care about is getting to the other side of
the pool and touching the wall. You can just let go and fly."