Molly Barber '25 Recruiting Profile

Swimming has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my happiest childhood memories are of spending hours and hours playing in the deep waters of Georgian Bay at our family cottage on Lake Huron. The cold temperatures never seemed to bother me; I just loved the feeling of my body moving through the water. When I first joined Swim Ottawa at the age of 10, it was clear I had some natural talent. I loved going fast and winning swim races, but during practices, I was more focused on the fun and social part. 

This all changed when I was 13 and the whole world took a pause. In Ontario, the COVID-19 pandemic not only closed our schools for longer than any other province in Canada, but it also shut down our pools and any competitive swimming opportunities. During this year away from swimming, I realized how much it meant to me and that I would need to get serious and work extra hard in practice to get to the level of other swimmers in my age group. And I did. When our pools finally reopened and racing resumed, I went from not qualifying for regional meets at the age of 13 to qualifying for our provincial meets at 14 and the Canadian Swimming Championships at 15. This year I am the top female swimmer in my club and am excited to race at the Canadian 2024 Junior Olympic Trials in May and am working hard to medal at the provincial and national events. My ultimate goal is to compete at the 2028 Olympics. I’m seeking a University swim program to help me reach this dream.   

Along with working hard as an athlete, academics remain a priority for me. Last year, I was awarded the Silver medal for maintaining a 90% average across all subjects. In particular, I love mathematics and sciences and am considering studying engineering, sports sciences and medicine at University.  It is important to me that the school I choose for my undergraduate degree prioritizes academics and provides support for student-athletes.  

Being a competitive swimmer has not only made me physically capable but also mentally stronger. I can separate my swimming from the other stressful events in my life, such as schoolwork and exams. I have learned to leave everything I have in the pool and push through when my body is aching. I think this is why I love both sprinting and long-distance events.  When racing, I am always able to rely on my body and my training to get me through each race so that I can keep calm and focus on what I need to do.  I often use this strategy in relays, especially when I need to catch up and pass another team. I understand how hard work in practice sets the foundation for an excellent race and I am always thinking about how to improve next time. Although I set high goals for myself, I rarely perform poorly due to nerves, pressure or overthinking. I take each race as it comes, and have learned to reset my focus even after a disappointing result. As a leader for the younger swimmers in my club, this is an approach I try to model and share when I work with them at our fun meets.  

As I have grown as an athlete, I have developed a strong mindset that lets me trust and forgive myself when I fail or underperform. I use these experiences to improve myself as a swimmer and a human. I will be an asset to any school swim team as I will give my all in both swimming and academics. Ultimately, I am motivated by the big goals that I have set for myself and understand that I need to work hard to achieve them. And I’m only getting started.