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Start Fast, Finish Faster - Physical & Mental Preparation

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Hello readers, today I am super excited to share my reflections from my 2025-2026 swimming seasons. Both of these seasons were an emotional, mental, and physical rollercoaster. I would like to share how I mentally prepared for each season and how that affected my performances at meets. During the fall/winter season, I had a greater chance of achieving goals I thought were out of reach in previous seasons. If you haven’t read my blog about my short course reflection, check it out! https://www.hanikachhajer.com/2026/04/laps-lessons.html . At the beginning of the season, I experienced some physical challenges that led to a decrease in my mental toughness. It took me a month to physically and mentally recover. As the season progressed, I took my physical routine more seriously. However, I paid little attention to mental preparation. Occasionally, I visualized my races and thought about strategies during the week of a meet. Looking back, I wish I had understood earlier how important mental ...
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Run with Riley!

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    Hello readers, I am super excited to share my insightful discussion with Riley Lingo. I got to know Riley through our dads who work together and are good friends . If you haven’t read that blog check it out: https://www.hanikachhajer.com/2025/02/thinking-about-thinking-with-ryan-lingo.html . Riley is an excellent runner from Nordonia Ohio who recently competed in the 4x800 relay at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. After talking to an athlete who experiences similar situations as me, I gained a new perspective on different aspects. Here are some of the questions I asked her. 1. Can you tell me how you began distance running? Riley until the 7th grade didn’t participate in any sports. Her parents encouraged her to find a sport that she would enjoy. Her first experience was at cross country. Riley had many questions that she discussed with her parents, such as, “Would I get to ride a bus to meets?” and “Would I make friends?” Her parents reassured her that she would ...
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Experiencing Leadership with The Ohio Association of Student Leaders camp!

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  Hello readers! I am very excited to share my first overnight camp experience. This camp was hosted by OASL (Ohio Association of Student Leaders). Back in March, I applied for this program and had to fill out an application. In April, I found out I was accepted into the program. I was super excited and had many thoughts floating at the same time like learning and practicing leadership skills, staying away from home for 5 days (my first time ever) and meeting all new people. My mom was super nervous (as usual 🙂) but my dad was extremely elated because he went to a boarding school and always wanted me to experience something similar. This was the closest he could get so he was happy. My mom and I arrived at the camp and slowly started seeing kids coming out of their cars. I saw many unfamiliar faces, which made me more nervous than I expected. As the week went by, I felt those nervous feelings disappear. Let me share my experience. Day 1 (Sunday, 6/21): As the car pulled out of the...
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Debating: The Power of Persuasion!

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Hello readers! I am super excited to share the first blog of my summer. After a long and challenging year of schoolwork, it was finally time for summer. I had been counting down the days until summer since the first day of school! It was the first day of June, and I got ready to go back to school but this tie, it was for a summer enrichment program hosted by my school district. I was interested in learning about “How to Debate?”. Let me share my experience and I’ll also dive deeper into the world of persuasion. Day 1 : I arrived at the building and was overwhelmed by the number of students crowded in one hallway. I was thankful that I knew two people in my class. Once we arrived in the classroom, we all sat down and started chatting. Our teacher’s name was Mrs. McCarty. She teaches at my future high school, and I really hope I learn from her in the future.  We gathered materials for the duration of the camp, and then, with our tablemates, we discussed what debate is, where you can ...
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Sight-seeing and seeing-Family in Seattle

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  On March 27th, I sprinted out of the bus to my house to embark on my spring break holiday. After a stressful month of tests and activities, it was finally time to take a break. My family and I went to Seattle to visit my aunt and uncle after four years. We flew with Alaska Airlines. Once we entered the security line, we were done in 10 minutes. We arrived at our gate an hour early, and I just finished some homework and watched a few videos. I got to try the new Ube Coconut Refresher from Starbucks, and it was flavorful, however, it was a bit too sweet for me. Then we finally boarded our flight, and I was super excited to fly! After watching one movie, eating two sandwiches, and taking a three-hour nap, we finally reached Seattle. I can honestly say that this was one of the smoothest flights I’ve ever had. I was very excited to see my uncle at the airport, and then I immediately went to sleep because I was extremely tired from the long journey. The next day, I woke up to a wonderf...
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