William does not have a video yet, but here is a SAMPLE of an NCSA professionally edited video
- Sample Video
Personal Statement
I have always enjoyed swimming and the swim team camaraderie, however over the past couple of years I have had opportunities to participate in competitive swim programs and it has heightened my interest and passion for the sport. This, in combination with my desire to achieve my personal best, has made me want to continue swimming competitively in high school and beyond high school.
As part of the Wayland HS swim team (Wayland MA), my freshman year I was trained by my coach and peers to achieve not only my personal best but how to work within the team to optimize our success. Practices were demanding and the peer motivation was inspiring. As a result, that year I earned points for my HS team throughout the season and at title meets resulting in us winning both the division sectional title and the state division title. This level of competition and team atmosphere really motivated me to want to perform better and transition to being a leader on the team! However with the COVID-19 pandemic my growth required me to grow in different ways and ultimately I recognized that it would have to be different than what I had experienced the previous year. I learned that in order to be competitive it required not only for me to work harder but to work smarter as well. I worked swim training into my every day by joining the local club swim team to continue exposing myself to competition prior to the high school season. Wayland HS opted for a mostly hybrid remote/in-school academic model for the 2020-2021 school year and imposed restrictions on athletics, including reduced capacities for teams and events. As such, the HS swim season transitioned to all virtual swim meets and canceled in-person HS title competitions. In hindsight, I learned that I grew from these challenges and experiences, finding ways to improve my performance and motivate others different than what I was used to. The HS swim team ended up with an undefeated "virtual" swim season, I achieved qualifying times across the freestyle events, and my relay team set a new pool and league record.
From these few experiences, I realized a lot about myself, my interests, and my passion for swimming. I learned that I can overcome adversity, be my own motivator or thrive off of others. I can create positive interactions for myself and others in any situation. I can focus and want to be successful in my endeavors. I completely enjoy swimming and being part of a team - whether it is minutes in the pool racing or hours in the pool training. In my efforts to better myself as a swimmer, I joined a competitive club swim team to further refine my techniques and continue to improve my overall swim fitness across all strokes and events. I am also looking forward to being a leader and teammate in our upcoming HS swim season, helping our younger teammates grow and supporting my peers in achieving their best.
Going forward, I am looking to swim in college and want to find a collegiate program that will continue to challenge and push me both academically and athletically. While I believe that I have the discipline and character to be successful at swim and in my studies, I believe that the overall experience will continue to enhance and cultivate my growth as a person.
