Sarah Gaudet '19 Recruiting Profile

At the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, I experienced an obstacle in my swimming career. My times were plateauing and I needed a new training approach with better coaches and swimmers to push me. I switched to a larger, more competitive team that happened to be arch rivals with my old team. It was a difficult switch because I had to leave my best friends and lifelong coaches, and what made leaving them even harder was that they cut off all communication with me - email, texts, calls, etc. - because they were mad at me about the switch. This emotionally and mentally was very tough and put me in a bad position. 

The switch to the new team has taught me new things about swimming and life in general. I have learned the importance of trying to prove myself to the important people in my life, like my new coach, so I can become the best I can be. I have learned that swimming is not just about the physical condition but also the mental condition I am in. Throughout this past year, I have been able to build up my confidence and re-build broken relationships with my old friends and coaches to the point where they will even cheer for me when we are all at the same swim meets. I have been able to prove myself to the head coach of the team I am currently on to the point where he has selected be to be in the highest ranked group on the team, where I am training with Olympic trail qualifiers. I have learned that making personal decisions to help me achieve my goals are not always easy and sometimes come with negative side effects. However, with perseverance and respect for all those involved in my decision, positive results will occur. 

This high school season, my goal is to not just qualify for States in the 100 butterfly but also in another event. At Counties my goal is to qualify in the top three in the County and at Divisions I would like to win the 100 butterfly. At States my goal is to be top 10 in the 100 butterfly. Overall in the future, my goal is to go to a college where I can not only academically succeed but also help the swim team I am a part of succeed.