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One of the nation's top swimmers, Anne-Marie Botek '06, has been there and done that. The 16-time high school All-American, McDonogh record-holder, and University of Georgia champion is looking ahead to competing in the 2012 Olympic Trials.

But she's also looking back.

What was on her mind last weekend? The Independent Athletic Association of Maryland swimming championships. On February 6, the McDonogh Eagles competed for their eighth consecutive league title. And Anne-Marie, a veteran of the first four of those championship teams, wished Coach Scott Ward and the girls good luck with this message:

直到今天, I still vividly remember each of those four Sundays, gathering in the bowels of the UMBC pool with war paint and orange bandannas, screaming and swimming our hearts out to uphold the honor of McDonogh."

"I remember the speeches you gave, all with the same message that I am just now beginning to fully understand.  In one way or another you always told us that winning or losing was not the most important thing we were going to do that day. Winning was, to be sure, the reason for the competition, and the ultimate goal. But, 最后, it was not the thing that mattered the most."

"Supporting one another and carrying ourselves with dignity and class, no matter the outcome, was always paramount."

"Now I think I finally fully understand the message you were trying to convey."

"The exhilaration of a win will flame intensely and die quickly. 然而, the experiences you share with your teammates will be burned into your memory; they will become a part of you."

“所以,, when you are old, 像我这样的, you will be able to remember that time when your teammate and you were cheering so hard for your girls in the water that you slipped off the bleachers and tumbled onto the pool deck in a heap, laughing hysterically and continuing to yell “GOOOO!” at the top of your lungs."

“因为, 最后, it is the personal experiences you share with your teammates that you will recall, not how many times you stood on the blocks and received a medal."

在关闭, Anne-Marie quoted a Lady Gaga song and wished the team success in their quest for an eighth title.

The Eagles have shared memories, not a championship bowl, to treasure. They finished second.