Personal Statement
I began swimming for my neighborhood summer swim team when I was about seven years old and loved that I was able to swim with my friends. I did not like competition for many years. In fact, swim meets made me stressed and I did not enjoy them. Still, I continued to swim, and eventually my mother signed me up on a year-round team at Lifetime Fitness, where we were members. I had a couple of friends who also signed up to swim for Lifetime, and it was fun but there was not a lot of team spirit. Swimmers came and went, and there were limited opportunities to get to know my teammates. Also, the idea of swimming more than twice a week made me stressed out because I struggled with school and homework (I have ADHD and anxiety). I did not move into higher-level swimming classes and did not improve much in the sport as a result. In 2020, my summer swim team coach, Coach Tomasek, told me I had natural talent and I decided to join York Swim Club, where she swam as a child and coaches during the school year. I began to improve and acclimate to competition. I started to focus on self-improvement in a physical sense as well as emotionally. I am finishing my third year with York Swim Club and am cross-training regularly. Last summer I set two records for my summer swim team, and I plan to add more this summer. I will also try out for my high school swim team in the late fall. While I am a late bloomer, I am motivated and focused. I think I would be an asset to a college team not only because of my swimming, but because I am team-focused, make friends easily, and make people laugh!
