My name is MaKayla Danelke, and I am a freshman at Big Lake High School. I decided to join the Big Lake Swim and Dive team this year (2017), and I've been improving everyday. I have already made a lot of personal goals in my first year of swimming, and I plan to accomplish more. When I fist joined the team, I was the slowest swimmer and could barley keep up with the lane I swim in. I felt like I didn't belong on the swim team and that I would never fit in, but my teammates encouraged and pushed me everyday and have now shaped me into the person and swimmer I am today. My first time trial for the 50 Freestyle was about 47 seconds, but thanks to all of the people who believed in me, I shaved 10 seconds off of my time this season and I plan to do more. I also recently swam my first 100yd freestyle in a meet, and I'm working towards becoming a butterfly stoker.
One quality that I can offer a team is my desire to be the best in everything I do. I always strive to be the best I can be. I also have very strong will power. I enjoy being apart of a team and working with others. For example, I use others to push myself and I hope other swimmers will look at me and use me to push themselves. I love hard work and I set big goals for myself that I tell myself I will reach. My favorite quote is "pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit." Another quality that I can offer a team is my love for the sport swimming. I couldn't see myself doing any other sport than swimming. Swimming is something that I am passionate about. I would like to go to school in a warmer location than Minnesota where I live, however I wouldn't mind staying close to home and family. I would like a medium to large size school. I've grown up in a small town all my life and I'd like to have a new experience. I'm striving to swim at a division 1 college. I hope to go to a college for a degree in criminal justice because I plan to attend a police academy upon completing college. Once I get closer to college, I'm sure I'll have more goals on what I want to accomplish while being on a college team. For now though I'd say my biggest goal is to just make it as far as I can in swimming and become the best I can be.