Kendall Cleveland

I started swimming competitively at the age of seven and swam all throughout high school. I surely never won races or got points for my team, but I genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere and spending time with my friends. When I got to high school, I knew swim was going to be something I either gave up and moved on from or I had to fully commit. My choice to continue was the best decision I have made thus far in my life.

I immediately threw myself into my new team and made it my goal to be coach's favorite and befriend the older captains. I made sure I was always the first to 6 A.M. practices before school and helped in any way I could. Unfortunately, at the end of my sophomore year, I tore my labrum in my shoulder. I went through seven months of physical therapy before being told I would need surgery to repair it. It was extremely upsetting because like I said before, I was not the best athlete by any means, so I didn't feel worthy of my injury. I had surgery in September of my junior year, meaning that season was a bust.

My coaches came to me before preseason and told me that they still wanted me on the team no matter what. They asked if I would take on the role of team manager (a nonexistent job before me). I of course said yes and helped with equipment, wrote and coached practices, and got so much closer to my team. That year set me up for being team captain my senior year. It also helped me realize how interested in leadership I was. My senior year I took on leadership positions in both my jobs and an internship outside of swim. I wanted to continue that into college and now am on the executive board of my sorority and lead a small group.

Though swim is no longer apart of my life, I will forever credit it for where I am now and for how far I have come.