Gabriella Douglas '23 Recruiting Profile

I started on a swim team when I was only 6.  My mom asked my older sister if she wanted to join the team as they were just starting this team that year.  I said from the back seat that I would wanna join and here we are 10 years later having me look at swimming in college.  I have been on a Summer Swim Team for 10 years this summer and did the YMCA Swim Team for 3 years before I moved over to my current Swim Team (Travel/Year Round).  I enjoy swimming and do so up to 7 practices a week and more when High School Swim was going on.  I love to put in the hard work and see the results.  We all know though that some times you an still come up short by .01.  A few years ago I was working towards getting a time in one event so I could go to a bigger meet but I was sick during the meet (found out later it was the flu) and came up short on my last chance.  I had the hard decision to decide if I wanted to continue swimming on a team but then Covid hit and my swim team was the only thing I could cling to since we were schooling at home.  My coach found ways to get us together so I looked forward to swim again if not to only get out of the house.  My swim team is like my second family and we enjoy spending time together.  I hope to find a college swim team that is like a 2nd family to me.  I am also noticing that my times are still dropping so I feel like I want to continue to swim in my college years.  I love being competitive and the thrill of swimming fast.

This past February my HS swim team went to Districts and I was able to join them.  The past two years my family's annual ski trip occurred during the same time as this meet.  This year we went skiing earlier so I could join in on the fun.  I made it to Regionals for both of my relays and my two individual events.  Both of my relays and my 50 Free were good enough to get me to the State meet.  My HS made history this year by sending 7 swimmers to States.  One of my relays made it back for Finals.  This was a great experience which I hope to repeat again next year.

Some additional fun facts about myself:

I work weekends when there are no meets.  This is the only time due to my swim & school schedule that I can make a few extra dollars.  In the summer months I teach younger kids how to swim and/or teach them the techniques for each swim stroke.  I have done this the past two summers.

When I was in Middle School I also ran Track and Cross Country.  In 2018 (8th grade), I placed 1st in the Southern Division for Cross Country for my area.  I used this running time to build up my leg muscles.