Olivia Ratliff '17 Recruiting Profile

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved the water. My mother worried constantly about me before I could float by myself, since I regularly and happily launched myself into the pool without a moment's care for the fact that I had no idea how to swim yet. Living in Germany at the time, the other moms jokingly referred to me as "fischchen," meaning "little fish." Though my abilities in the pool have definitely evolved since the era before I could float, my love for swimming hasn't diminished in the slightest.  I can't imagine my life without swimming, so continuing my swimming career into the college level is a no-brainer. 

I've swum competitively since I was 10, moving progressively through the various groups and levels within my club team, Nova of Virginia Aquatics. Just 2 months ago, I made my final group transition into NOVA's highest and most serious training group, Senior Gold. I can't say that swimming at such a level has been easy-- the training and dedication required to swim in Senior Gold is far more intense than any previous group that I had participated in--  but I am so thankful for the change. Practices now are far more challenging, the swimmers are extremely serious about the sport, and my coach inspires me to give every last ounce of energy I have to the pool. It's exactly the kind of environment which makes a "try-hard" like me feel right at home, and I absolutely love it. 

I've only participated in one big meet since the move up, but I did drop a significant amount of time (ie. 2:35.12 to 2:30.28 LCM in my best event, the 200 fly) and I'm hopeful that I can improve even more before swimming in my final meet of the summer, Virginia Long Course Senior Championships. With that said, I'm looking more towards the short course season to drop more significant time because the longer that I swim in Senior Gold, the better off my racing will be. I'm so excited for the upcoming seasons and I hope to continue swimming far into the future!