I was a competitive swimmer throughout junior high and high school, and I used to get exceptionally nervous before every swim meet — so nervous that I would imagine injuries that could befall me that would get me out of the meet: a concussion, maybe a few stiches, ideally something just serious enough to get me out of the meet but not too debilitating. How and why I continued swimming for seven years in the midst of this self-inflicted worry is the topic for another column.