According to the Center for Disease Control, CDC, swimming can be one of the most beneficial sports for an individual both mentally and physically. That being said however, the sport’s myriads of health benefits do not come without hard work. Swimming requires lots of cardiovascular health and can be very difficult for the who do not swim much or not competitively.
Regardless of any hardships however, Plant had two swimmers commit to college for their swimming expertise. Anna Moseley (12) and Ansley Allen (12) both committed to different colleges to continue their swimming journey.
“I began swimming at the age of seven,” Moseley says. “I swam on the Plant High School swim team for all 4 years as a varsity athlete and swam club year-round all throughout high school.”
Moseley and Allen’s journeys mirror each other in many ways.
“I started swimming when I was nine,” Allen says. “I have always loved the water when I was a kid and was always athletically gifted, and I joined a year-round competitive swim team and I’ve been swimming ever since.”
Both athletes began swimming at a young age and have been swimming ever since. In order to go to college for any sport, especially swim, it is necessary to work from a young age to build endurance and skill.
“I visited Carleton back in October after speaking with the coaches for a couple of months, and I loved the trip and was offered a spot on the team, so I committed during the visit,” Moseley says.
As she described, Moseley committed to Carleton College in Minnesota to continue her swimming career.
“I connected with several colleges and decided what was right for me based on campus visits and how the coaches interacted with their swimmers,” Allen says. “When being recruited you essentially have to market yourself to the coaches and show that you would be a good addition to their team. There were some ups and downs throughout the process, but that’s to be expected when choosing a college, regardless of whether you play a sport.”
Allen ultimately chose the University of Nevada, Las Vegas following her recruitment process.
While sports appear to be an easy way into colleges, that is not to say any collegiate athlete can simply let their grades slip. If anything, it is more difficult to balance high achieving grades and their sport’s requirements. Practices, independent workouts and team bonding are only some of the many commitments that these athletes must balance atop their schoolwork, family life and social life.
On one hand, for some athletes, sports can provide a structure that actually allows them to get more done regardless of time restraints.
“Swimming has helped me be more disciplined when doing schoolwork, and I feel like it definitely makes me work harder and be more productive,” Moseley says.
On the other hand, it can add pressure and the work is more difficult to manage.
“Swimming definitely made academics a little more stressful,” Allen says.
Regardless of any hardship, however, academic or otherwise, both athletes concluded their high school athletics journey on April 15.
Once officially committed, both girls reflected on their commitment experience and reported back similar advice to those about to go through similar experiences.
“Take your time and research a lot about the college you want to attend, and definitely visit in person,” Moseley says. “Make sure that you love the college academically and socially, and not just the sports team when deciding to commit.”
Allen suggested almost identical advice to athletes.
“My advice is to take your time to explore all options,” Allen says. “It is important to find a school that fits athletically, academically and culturally.”
While it is important to choose a school that is good for your sport, it is also significant to ensure that the school is a good fit for the student – academically and culturally.