Ryder Nakamura '24 Recruiting Profile

Ever since I started swimming in seventh grade, the sport has always been a part of me. I enjoyed the feeling of near weightlessness as I glide through the water, forgetting all of life's struggles. Swimming has taught me discipline and how to really achieve my goals and to believe in myself even if nobody else will. Because of swimming, I am constantly urged to challenge myself, whether that be at school, home, or in the pool. I am constantly pushing my mind and body past the limits of what I believed was possible and have learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable. This allows me to set high goals and eventually achieve them, which makes me love the sport even more. As I got better, my goals got harder. For example, in the summer of 2021, my goals were to get Junior Olympic cuts. Now, the goal is to get more Zones and Sectionals cuts, which are a pretty big step up from JO's. The satisfaction I get from beating my goals only fuels my drive for success, which is certain to take me to the next level in both college and life.