Chloe Bartmess '27 Recruiting Profile

Class of 2027

My high school is part of an athletic conference made up of six schools across South-East Asia; they meet once a year to compete, at an event we call IASAS, a three day competition that, on the third day, has a tradition where each swimmer links arms around the edge of the pool, and lets themselves fall in like a row of tiny dominoes. The first time I saw this I was in eighth grade, watching the livestream from the back of my class. I swam three times a week then, could barely dive, and struggled to make the easiest send offs, but in that moment, where I watched swimmers cascade into the water one after another, I promised myself that somehow, I would be one of them. Now if swimming has taught me anything, it’s that the road to success is a long one, a hard one filled with early morning and screaming muscles; but if swimming has taught me anything else, it’s that once my mind has been set on a goal, there is very little that can stop me. 

So I worked. 

I made it my business to know when every practice and meet was, made it my mindset to know that I could do it, and made it my motivation to simply get there. I started behind everyone else on my team–I began much later than your average varsity swimmer, and where they found sets and send offs easy I found them hard. But I kept at it. I worked and I swam and I pushed myself until I made it, until I was there, a year later, linking arms with my teammates and falling into the water in a row of tiny dominoes. 

    My experience with being behind everyone else made me comfortable with the hard. The challenging became second nature to me, the fact that anything is attainable if I set my mind to it now my mantra. 

I take this attitude into the classroom and other activities as well, with an accumulative GPA (from the start of grade 9 to now) of 6.44 out of 7.00. Heavily involved with my academics, I strive to maintain good grades across all subjects, and plan to study neuroscience and/or english in university. I placed third at the World Scholars Cup: Global Round in Individual Writing, and also received multiple other medals for both myself and the team I went with. My involvement as an officer of a school club, and as a member of three others plus our school’s athletic council, has helped me maintain a strong engagement in my community. I am certified as a coach with a Level 1 ASCA, and work as an assistant coach to elementary school swimmers grade two and below twice a week. I am highly involved with my swim team, and have been awarded the sportsmanship and coach’s choice award, as well as the Anthony Faseler award–a team award given out to the swimmer who displays the most dedication and persistence in the face of challenges. I was also chosen as a co-captain for the Varsity team in my sophomore year, for showing up for my team and constantly giving it my all. From home meets to IASAS, I have always been there for my team.

My last day at IASAS was a little over a month ago. I’ll move back to the US in a few months–my family is part of the State Department and moves often–and leave my first swim team behind. But I will not leave behind the lessons I’ve learned or the person I’ve grown into. I’ve been shown what it is to be adaptable, and known what it is to be thrown into new situations where I am forced to grow and change simply to stay afloat. I’ve learnt the rewards of hard work, the thrill that comes with success; I’ve learnt what it means to have a team that becomes your family, to truly be a part of a team. Whether it’s me whispering encouragement between sets (not loudly as I tend to be quiet), or dancing out my nerves to Beyoncé behind the blocks at a meet, I’ve learnt that there isn’t really a swimmer quite like me, and while my middle school self would have been terrified at that fact, I’ve grown to realize it’s beyond a good thing. When asked why I want to continue swimming, the answer is simple: I am far from done with the sport. My short time in the pool leaves so much more for me to aspire to, and infinitely more for me to work for.