201st Corps Swim Competition

I just witnessed something amazing. I went to a swim competition at the Afghan National Army (ANA) base at Pol-e-Charki, Afghanistan. There is a 25 yard pool that is approximately 10 yards wide. There were hundreds of soldiers at the pool for an intramural competition. The cheering was loud, the athletes, who were soldiers, were giving their all, and there was nothing but smiles. I have never seen so many people excited about a swim meet before. I was also so impressed about how well the athletes swam, considering that most of the soldiers never swam in a pool before today.