Long Hannah - Unsinkable: moments, milestones, and medals

Copyright 2018 by Jessica Long

All rights reserved.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

hmhco.com

Cover photograph Sean Scheidt; Olympic medals photograph Roy Cox, Photographer; Back photograph BOB MARTIN FOR OIS/IOC/AFP/Getty Images

Cover design by Andrea Miller

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-328-70725-3

eISBN 978-1-328-47670-8
v1.0518

For my hero; my dad, Steve Long. You were the first person who said I should have a book one day. Thanks for always, always believing in me.

LIFE-CHANGING MOMENTS. Many people can point to a time when they had one of these moments... or maybe two or three. Theyre faced with an event that shifts their whole world and makes them look at things differently. I cant say for sure how many of these most people have in a lifetime, but my life has definitely been filled with them. As a double amputee who was born in Siberia, was adopted by an American family, and spent more than a decade as a competitive swimmer, I can point to any number of moments that have altered the course of my life. Some of those moments have been obvious ones, broadcasted to the world by media outlets. Some were small, quiet ones that I struggled through. But all had an impact on my life, shaping who I am today. When I thought about writing a book about my story, it made sense to talk about all of them. I hope that in sharing my journey, I can show that we dont have to let our circumstances define us. I certainly could never have plannedor even imaginedthe way in which my life has unfolded so far, but I wouldnt change my unique experiences. We never know which moments are the ones that will lead to a new opportunity or will touch someone elses life.

So here they are, my life-changing moments...

1

The moment I won my first gold

I did not come here to be second. The water blocks out every sound, and I feel my heartbeat pulsing with each stroke of my arms. I glance over again to see the feet of my competitor, which means Im still behind her. I did not come here to be second! This is my last thought before throwing every ounce of energy into flying toward the other end of the pool, slicing through the water, and reaching for the wall at the same moment she does. I turn to the scoreboard to see who won, but I cant fully make out the names through my fogged-up goggles. I briefly process that my competitor doesnt look very celebratory, and then I see it. Next to the number 1, Jessica Long is listed at the top. I hesitantly throw my arm in the air and smile as cameras go off. I cant believe it. Thats me. Im gasping for air, gripping the wall to keep myself above the surface because Im too exhausted to tread water, but thats MY NAME on the board!

I am Jessica Long, and that was the moment I won my first gold medal in the hundred-meter freestyle at the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Ive never been good at listening to people. They always seem to tell me what I cant do, which I see as merely an opinion until Ive tried it to my full capacity. I want to hear what I can do. I remember sitting in the hotel room at the Paralympic Trials, my dad preparing me for the possibility of my not making the team. He was laying out some facts about how young I was, and how new I was to the world of competitive swimming, telling me there was plenty of time to train for the next round of games. I was twelve years old, and I looked him dead in the eye and said, Im going to make the team. I know I am. Sure enough, they called my name, making me the youngest athlete on the U.S. Paralympic team in any sport.

Listening to my national anthem play on the podium at the Athens Games. Nothing can fully describe this moment.

When I was growing up, even if my parents were giving me a rule for my own benefit and protection, I immediately wanted to go against it. Im sure it was frustrating for them, but thats the way I needed to live my lifeto face everything I was up against. Thats the determination that got me to Athens.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
NO ONE IS YOU, AND THAT IS YOUR POWER.
BE SO GOOD THEY CANT IGNORE YOU.

Everything surrounding my time in Athens excited me. Rolling into the Olympic Village with the rest of the U.S. swim team, I was amazed by what I saw. I became best friends with three of the girls living in my building. Kelly, Casey, Elizabeth, and I dubbed ourselves the Four Mousekateers, and I was known as the housekeeper of the group because I was constantly tidying our suite. I was in awe of everything all the older swimmers did. I watched the seventeen-year-olds put on makeup, thinking they were the absolute coolest. I didnt have any makeup, as I wasnt allowed to wear it yet, so I may have used one of their eyeliners when they werent around...

I loved the freedom I had on that trip. Since I was homeschooled and constantly with my family, it was as if I were having my first college experience. I grew up a bit in those three weeks, finding my independence, having the time of my life, feeling like a little adult. And on top of that, I was there to swim!

Waking up in the village on the day of my first race, I was a bundle of nerves. All I could manage to eat for breakfast was a banana. I boarded the bus to head over to the pool, did my pre-race warm-up, got on my tiny racing suit, and waited. Waiting was the worst part. As a twelve-year-old, I just wanted to race. Finally it was my turn. I walked to the call room, showed them my credentials, and proceeded to line up. Suddenly the nerves were gone. I was ready. My first race in competition was the hundred-meter freestyle preliminaries, for which several heats would race and the fastest eight swimmers would advance to the finals later that night. When I touched the wall in the prelims and the coach told me my time, I knew that put me first in the world. I didnt get too excited, because I knew that the seasoned athletes hold back in order to qualify in the prelims and then up their game for the finals. I was seeded first for that evening, so I was lined up to swim in the fourth lane (the fastest swimmers are in lanes four and fivethe center lanes). With my strong finish in the preliminaries, my coach and my family thought I might be able to win the bronze medal, but I had this crazy desire to win gold. The gun went off, I dove in, and 1:08.86 minutes later, I won my first gold medal in the Paralympics!

Sitting in the stands with my dad after winning my first Paralympic gold medal.

Lining up for the medal ceremony, I didnt fully grasp the significance of what was happening. It was finally settling into my mind that I had won. My USA gear was too big for my frame, and I had thrown my wet hair into a haphazard ponytail. I wasnt wearing makeup or thinking about the photographs; I was busy taking in the moment. We walked out to the podium, and I thought