Personal Statement
Don’t count the days, make the days count.
Actions speak louder than coaches.
“I told myself there was no way I was going to let this training go to waste. It was my time, and I was ready to
go.” – Katie Hoff
You can motivate by fear and reward, but these are temporary. The only lasting thing is self motivation.
These are just a few of the quotes that I use to motivate and teach myself about swimming.
My name is Annika Winsnes and I am a Norwegian and Dutch National. I have lived in Asia my entire life, and currently live in Singapore. I am boarding at a revered international school called United World College of Southeast Asia. I am 16 years old, and in the 11th grade. For my last two years of high school I am taking the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. I am 5’11 and weigh 150 pounds.
My two main events are the 50-meter and the 100-meter freestyle (long course, 50 meters) with times of 26.20 and 57.19 respectively. As I have lived in Asia my whole life, I do not have any times in yard pools and had to use an online converter to complete this form. My specific goal is to make Olympic qualifying times for my 50 and 100 freestyle events. My first true success in swimming was when I broke the Selangor State record in Malaysia in 2010 for the 50-meter freestyle age group 13-14 year olds and became the Selangor State Age Group Champion. I won the SEASAC Age-Group Champion, which is a competition between multiple schools around Southeast Asia. In May 2011 I reached the finals in the 50 free during the Malaysian Open. Furthermore, I have won several medals at National Age Group Competitions in Malaysia. In January 2012 I became Girls State Champion for age group 15 - 17 year olds and broke 3 state records in the 50 free, 100 free and 50 fly. Another proud accomplishment of mine was being the captain of my swim team at school. As I have such a strong passion for swimming, I also hold coaching sessions every week with boarding students from Africa who do not know how to swim. It is a very rewarding experience.
I am open to different schools. However, I would like to go to a school that can challenge me academically and athletically to facilitate the path to reaching my goals. Furthermore, growing up at international schools, I am very interested in a school that has an international community. I am still quite uncertain about which major I would like to take, but most likely biology as I am interested going into medicine in the future.
Clearly, I am an extremely dedicated and determined swimmer, and person in general. I continuously strive
for excellence, and I am not afraid to challenge myself. I am someone who sets goals that others are too afraid to set. I have dreams that I wish to pursue. Success in swimming is important to me, but truthfully it’s the skills and lessons I have learnt from swimming that have shaped me to become who I am today.
Swimming – to me – isn’t just a sport. It’s a way of life that doesn’t just teach you that you have to keep your knees together in the breaststroke kick, or to have a high-elbow in the freestyle pull, but also how to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, how to challenge yourself, how to be dedicated, and how to take information and apply it practically. For these reasons, I believe I have a lot to offer to your team and school and hope that you will be interested in recruiting me.
Annika Winsnes
(Contact details below)
Please note my contact details as I was not able to enter international contact details on the recruiting management system.
Annika Winsnes
Boarding address: United World College South East Asia, Mahindra House,
1207 Dover Road, Singapore 139654
hp +6581822784 (GMT+8), email: [email protected]
Parents
Home address: Valencia,12 Elitis Ujana, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Malaysia
Mother hp +60122355603 (GMT+8), email: [email protected]
Father hp +60122316069 (GMT+8), email: [email protected]
Coaches
Gary Tan, Swimming Coach, Swimfast Aquatic Club, hp +6597967445, email: [email protected]
Allen Ong, Swimming coach, Stingray swim club, hp +6017 6143218 (GMT+8),
email: [email protected]
Mike Staples, Athletic Director UWCSEA , Tel:+6567755344 (GMT+8)