Robert Coles '17 Recruiting Profile

I am a high school senior in rural, eastern North Carolina, who would like to swim in college. My ideal coach would be technique-based, because I have limited swimming experience and I know with the right coaching and work, I can reduce my times significantly. My current high school GPA is a 3.93 and my current ACT score is a 33. Along with my swimming times, I anticipate improving my GPA and my ACT scores. As for a college choice, I want a good quality education to prepare me well for my future career and I'm looking for a good fit, but I am pretty flexible. 

USA Swimming shows I have competed in 25 races, and I have also competed in ~25 local high school meets. My current fastest competition times are: 50 yd free 22.86, 100 yd free 49.2, 200 yd free 1:53.99. Last season I dropped my times by ~2 sec, ~6 sec & ~11 seconds, respectively. My coach tells me I have good natural talent, and I am in a "catch-up" position, because I've had so little competition and coaching. I know I will swim faster with additional coaching and access to better facilities.

I live in a 100 mile long rural county situated on the east coast, with a year-round population of 65,000. I am on a new team which started October, 2015 called the Beaufort Bluefins. We swim in a 5 lane 25 yard pool approximately twenty years old, where we sometimes have to skip swimming because the chlorine levels are too high. There is only one 50 meter pool (and it is an outdoor pool) in the county, however our team does not have access to use it. During the school year we practice 90 minutes 5 days a week, and during the competitive season I convinced the team to add an additional 60 minute morning practice, so we then had 3 morning practices/week. During the summer we have 4 practices/week scheduled. I recognize that college swimming will be more rigorous and will have more practices. I look forward to working harder and I currently workout more than anyone else on my team. I would like to continue improve my technique and reduce my times. I have never had any swimming or sports related injuries and I’d like to keep it that way if possible.   

Growing up in Carteret County, NC has provided me with many opportunities that make me a well rounded person. I am an Eagle Scout who loves being outdoors. Our county is surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, and one of my favorite things is to be on the water. I love swimming, boating (all types: motor boats, sail boats, kayaks, canoes, etc.), paddle boarding, surfing, skurfing, and I have recently begun to learn how to kite-board. I have also had the unique opportunity of completing a GAP year living aboard a Tall Ship sailboat, where I crewed and traveled ~18,000 nautical miles, visited 19 countries and lived in a small space with 59 other people. Even though our ship was surrounded by water, I was rarely allowed to swim. I have done mission trips/service work in Costa Rica, Haiti, Guatemala, Suriname, the Dominican Republic and as well as here in America.

I am a hard worker, I truly like being around a variety of people and I’m looking forward to participating on a college swim team. I look forward to speaking with you, if you are interested in considering me for your team.

Thank you. Sincerely, Robert Coles, NCAA ID: 1605498492