Personal Statement
Competitive swimming has been a major influence in all aspects of my life ever since I joined my first club team in the 2nd grade. The sport taught me the importance of friendship, optimism, dedication, and determination countless times. One such instance occurred my freshmen year on my High School swim team at State Trials. I had swam the 100 backstroke, and another swimmer and I had tied for the last spot in State Finals, so we had to do a swim off. My nerves were of course running rampant, as all my teammates were chanting my name at the opposite end of the pool while one my closest friends on the team was motivating me down on my side before the race. In the end, I won the race, making it into finals.
That night really put everything into perspective for me. It solidified the value of perseverance and comradery and allowed me to thrive not only as a swimmer, but also as a person. I've come so far since then in my swimming career and I'm ready to create more of these types of experiences on a competitive college team. I believe that I have been demonstrating the required work ethic, skill, and love for the sport in all my years of swimming required for college swimming and wish to do the same on your team.