Addison Elliott '25 Recruiting Profile

When I started swimming competitively ten years ago, I loved every second of it. Everyone around me, especially my parents, were able to see the joy on my face and my general happiness as I raced and moved through the water. Over the years, I came to understand that competitive swimming is no joke. It takes commitment, heart, mental grit and a lot of hard work. At times, sticking with it was tough. There were ups and lots of downs, there were plateaus that nearly broke my spirit and there were days, weeks, even months when going to practice just sucked. There were PBs that just wouldn't seem to come and time cuts that remained elusive meet after meet. I am still a little salty that I never earned a Junior Champs Cut. After 8th grade, I will admit that I thought about quitting. Thankfully, I didn't and high school swim came along. Suddenly, a switch flipped. The joy, the passion and the commitment came back. I was 100% driven, I wanted to go to practice, I wanted to work hard and I began to see the payoff to the hard work. At the District Championship meet my 9th grade year, I DQ'd (I stayed underwater past the 15-meter mark on my backstroke start) and I was devastated. It meant I would miss out on the State Championships. Through my tears, my amazing coaches were patient and encouraging and reminded me of the silver lining - my backstroke starts are strong enough to take me past 15 meters! I vowed it wouldn't happen again and that the following year, I would not only make States, I would medal. That is exactly what happened, I placed 8th at the State Championship in the 100 Backstroke. Last year, I won the League Championship in Backstroke (also placing 5th in Butterfly), won Districts in Backstroke (again placing 5th in Butterfly), qualified for States in Butterfly, broke my school record in the 100 Backstroke (twice), earned my first Sectionals cut and earned a Future's cut. Yup - competitive swimming is no joke, but I love it. The pool is my home, my team is my family and my sport brings me joy. Yes, it is hard work, but I've seen the payoff and it's quite rewarding. I cannot wait to continue working hard and having fun on a college swim team. I look forward to finding my new home and my new family in the sport that brings me so much joy.