I first realized I was gay when I was 13. The problem was, by then I was already involved with swimming, and I knew I would be ridiculed if any of my teammates found out. So I used to cry myself to sleep, hoping it would go away. Of course, it didn't go away, so by the time I was 14 I just got my act together and accepted it.
Not long after that is when I had my first gay experience with another boy. Talk about amazing. It almost felt like I had "arrived at my destination".
I told my mom when I was 15, and she totally accepted me. We cried, we laughed, we bonded. I will never forget that day; it was a defining moment in my life.