Before the Swimming Competition
IntermediateSports
A father encourages his teenage daughter to keep practicing swimming before her school competition, while she shares her worries about not being good enough.
B
BabaX
XiaomeiB
还有一个星期就要比赛了，你今天还去游泳池练习吗？
hái yǒu yí ge xīngqī jiù yào bǐsài le, nǐ jīntiān hái qù yóuyǒngchí liànxí ma?
There's only one week left until the competition. Are you still going to the pool to practice today?
X
我有点不想去，总觉得自己游得不够快。
wǒ yǒudiǎn bù xiǎng qù, zǒng juéde zìjǐ yóu de bú gòu kuài.
I kind of don't want to go. I always feel like I don't swim fast enough.
B
别这么想，其实这几个月你进步了很多。
bié zhème xiǎng, qíshí zhè jǐ ge yuè nǐ jìnbù le hěn duō.
Don't think like that. Actually, you've improved a lot these past few months.
X
可是班上的李娜比我快多了，我怕自己拿不到名次。
kěshì bān shàng de Lǐ Nà bǐ wǒ kuài duō le, wǒ pà zìjǐ ná bu dào míngcì.
But Li Na in my class is much faster than me. I'm afraid I won't place at all.
B
比赛不光是为了赢，最重要的是你尽了全力。
bǐsài bù guāng shì wèile yíng, zuì zhòngyào de shì nǐ jìn le quánlì.
A competition isn't only about winning. The most important thing is that you gave it your all.
X
道理我懂，可我还是特别紧张，晚上都睡不好。
dàolǐ wǒ dǒng, kě wǒ háishì tèbié jǐnzhāng, wǎnshàng dōu shuì bu hǎo.
I understand that, but I'm still really nervous—I can't even sleep well at night.
B
紧张很正常，每个运动员上场前都会紧张。
jǐnzhāng hěn zhèngcháng, měi ge yùndòngyuán shàngchǎng qián dōu huì jǐnzhāng.
Being nervous is completely normal. Every athlete feels nervous before they compete.
X
真的吗？连专业运动员也会紧张？
zhēn de ma? lián zhuānyè yùndòngyuán yě huì jǐnzhāng?
Really? Even professional athletes get nervous?
B
当然，关键是把紧张变成动力，多练几次你就更有信心了。
dāngrán, guānjiàn shì bǎ jǐnzhāng biànchéng dònglì, duō liàn jǐ cì nǐ jiù gèng yǒu xìnxīn le.
Of course. The key is turning that nervousness into motivation. Practice a few more times and you'll feel more confident.
X
好吧，那我下午还是去游泳池练一练。
hǎo ba, nà wǒ xiàwǔ háishì qù yóuyǒngchí liàn yi liàn.
Okay then, I'll still go to the pool this afternoon and practice a bit.
B
这就对了，我下班以后去接你，顺便看看你游得怎么样。
zhè jiù duì le, wǒ xiàbān yǐhòu qù jiē nǐ, shùnbiàn kànkan nǐ yóu de zěnmeyàng.
That's the spirit. I'll pick you up after work and see how your swimming is going while I'm at it.
X
好，谢谢爸爸，我一定好好加油！
hǎo, xièxie bàba, wǒ yídìng hǎohǎo jiāyóu!
Okay, thanks Dad. I'll definitely try my best!