Blake Patton '23 Recruiting Profile

Hi, I’m Blake and I am a Senior at Millard West High school in Omaha, Nebraska. I am currently #19 on the Varsity swim team and am a member of Millard Aquatics Club so I can swim year-round. I have only been swimming for three years. Prior to that, I had never set foot in a pool for competitive swimming. In addition to swimming, academically I was selected as one of the school's  5 outstanding students of the year in 2021. My GPA remains at a 3.75 and I work very hard to be active and do well in school. Here is a little bit of my story and why I have been successful. I have learned a lot, more than most at my age, and that is a blessing. 

As a first-year freshman, I had it all figured out. I was going to try out for Show Choir, be in a group and continue to sing. After all, I was a natural and had always been successful singing.  It turned out, I didn't make it into any of the three groups, which was a very humbling experience. All of my friends did, I did not. After I let that settle, I picked myself up and decided to try something new. I walked onto the JV swim team as a Freshman. What I didn't know, is it would change my life!

Through this experience, I learned that every failure opens a door and there is always a new opportunity for the taking. I knew nothing about swimming, but I was interested in it. Because I used to have visual processing and balance issues, I had never been able to swim let alone be on a sports team before; nor did I know if I could. But swimming was a sport I could try even though I had no experience. At a school of almost 3000 students, most sports are out of reach. The swim team took me in with open arms and I started learning. I took aquatics for my PE class in school, and I learned more. After the season I joined a local club (MAC) and kept swimming. My coach kept saying, "you get better and better every day."

By my Sophomore year, I was put on the transition team. This team is one step up from JV and they prepare you for Varsity. They have harder practices, and it is more demanding. My times were getting better, and I found water gave me peace. Swimming became my safe place and I looked forward to getting into the pool every day. When I was in the pool, I was free from discrimination from my learning disability. I realized I was competing against myself, and I liked the challenge of trying to beat my best times. Fast forward to my Junior year. I made Varsity!!! I did it and my coach told me that my hard work had paid off. This was one of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences of my life so far. 

Another thing to know about me is I am dyslexic, so I have to work really hard to keep my grades up. I work day and night in order to read, remember and learn and I have maintained straight A’s in my Sophomore and Junior year. I don't make excuses, I adjust to the way I do things and think, and from there I learn. I advocate for myself, ask questions, and take the feedback I get to make myself successful. I am driven, and that is why my grades are high and I'm a good swimmer. I don't give up, I take direction and give 110% every day. And if I can make myself even 1% better each day, I've achieved my goal.

My dad once told the family that he didn't know what I was going to do for the swim team. He thought maybe I could be the water girl and assist the other swimmers. I overheard what he said, I took it, worked hard, and I am now on varsity 2 years later. My entire life I've been told I can't because I'm dyslexic. I'm here to tell you I can, and I will! I hope if anything this story will motivate someone in their life. I look forward to being (if I'm so lucky) on a swim team in college and achieving my goal of becoming a psychologist.