Personal Statement
Breaststroke was the first stroke that I learned to swim at New York City’s Harlem YMCA at the age of three. It has been my favorite stroke ever since. At age five I started swimming competitively in NYC. In 2012 I moved to England and have been a member of a couple of clubs here, as English schools don’t have swim teams. Although breaststroke is my number one stroke I have always enjoyed competing in 800 and 400 frees, 400 and 200 IMs to maintain versatility in other events. In summer of 2019 I gained a place in the Performance Squad at the Winchester City Penguins in Hampshire, England. My coach is Zoe Baker, the former 50m Breaststroke World record holder. Zoe has really inspired me and helped me work on my technique. I was the 2020 U16 Hampshire County Champion in the 50, 100, and 200 LCM breaststroke. I have also competed at Regionals, reaching Finals. In March 2020 I achieved English National times and a Junior Qualifying Time for British Swimming Olympic Selection Trials in the 100 Breast LCM. So far in my swimming career I have not had the opportunity to take part in a consistent weight/gym training program. This is an area I’m keen to work on as I know it will improve my times.
I also played club soccer for ten years and was a defender for the Winchester City Flyers girls’ football team for eight seasons. I loved playing for the Flyers and the camaraderie of playing a team sport, but I decided to give up soccer to focus 100% on swimming and to allow more time to study for my school GCSE exams in 2020. I achieved ten GCSEs last summer with nine Grade As and one Grade B. I am now in my first year of the UK’s two-year ‘A’ level program and am studying Biology, Psychology, and Geography at King Edwards VI School in Southampton, England. My final exams are next year.
I was born in NYC and have always wanted to return to college in the US and to swim. In the videos I’ve watched of American college swimming the team atmosphere at competitions looks so fun and inspiring. I love the idea of swimming to achieve points for a team, which is completely different to UK club swimming where the focus is on PBs.
My goals are to major in psychology or environmental science and to work hard to be an asset to a US college team. I attend an academically rigorous school in the UK, so I’ve grown up learning to juggle schoolwork with a demanding sports training and competition schedule. I’m confident that my experiences in England have prepared me well for the challenges of being a US student athlete.
