For most of her life, Teresa Wall-Cyb has found joy in the water. Well, mostly joy as well as meaningful lessons and opportunity for growth. At age seven, she failed the 100 IM three times when she stopped to cry after the backstroke leg. On the fourth attempt, she kept going and has not cried about that event since. She swam with her best friends on Montgomery High School’s swim team, and followed her gymnast buddy onto the diving team where she learned how much it hurts to fail at diving. Many years later, she was awarded Best Diver during a Swim Trek. Her winning dive had a 1.3 degree of difficulty and a field of exactly one competitor.

Recently, she wrote an essay that was published in the March/April 2026 edition of the U.S. Masters Swimming’s Swimmer Magazine. She swims, takes classes at the College of San Mateo, and assistant-coaches Burlingame High School’s swim team.