Junior Allison Meny has found herself through the art of swimming and the benefits that it has given her but also the hardships she has had to overcome. It has taught her things like managing herself on a busy schedule, keeping up with her school and social life, and overcoming obstacles. She has created a safe social atmosphere for herself in the sport, and she has learned how to balance things out while creating unforgettable memories through swimming.
“Swimming is very mentally taxing,” Allison said, “which makes it difficult sometimes to manage swimming, school, and my social life, but I always keep a positive mindset and persuade others to do the same.”
Allison has created some unbreakable bonds and friendships through swimming. The time she and her teammates are able to spend together is cherished. During the season, all of the girls were able to connect with one another, making the sport more than just swimming to Allison. It has brought her closer to people in all grades, and it’s created a wider social circle for her.
All of the time Allison has to spend with her team has made it easy to create new friendships through the sport.
“I have developed a lot of great friendships with my teammates,” Allison said. “Daily practices and meets help contribute to making new bonds.”
Throughout her years of high school so far, Allison has made many memories that will stick with her for the rest of her life. These memories don’t just come from her friends or family, they are special ones that come from swimming. The community she has within her sport has given her some of the greatest memories to look back on.
Three years ago, Allison was able to be a part of a lively tradition for the first time within her swim team. This created such an amazing memory for her to look back on, as well as carry on for others.
“My favorite memory from the swim team has to be the cottage weekend every year,” Allison said. “The weekend before the season starts, we spend the weekend playing icebreakers, going tubing, and making s’mores at a senior’s cottage. I have always loved that tradition and have looked forward to it every year, and I am so excited for us seniors to host next season.”
Although swimming has very often been an escape for Allison, it does have its rough patches. There are times when she has an extremely busy schedule, and she is overwhelmed with stress, finding it hard to balance her life out. Practices would become extremely draining, and sometimes the sport no longer seemed like fun.
Allison has learned how to maintain a fit schedule for herself now, but at the start of high school, that was not the case for her.
“During my freshman year,” Allison said, “I always struggled to deal with my school life and my swimming practices. We had morning practices every day of the week and practices at night. I struggled with balancing both, and I ended up going to school with my hair wet after practice and slept in almost every class.”
All of Allison’s hard work is paying off, and she is able to find joy in swimming. Swimming is one of her greatest passions, but, unfortunately, the commitment comes with consequences. Not only mental ones but quite often physical ones.
Although there have not been any life-altering injuries for Allison, there has been one that’s affected her performance and ability to give one hundred percent in the water.
“I have had some problems with my right knee,” Allison said, “which I had to take care of this year, causing some struggles in my performance.”
After high school is over, Allison has an idea of what her future could look like. She doesn’t know if she sees herself continuing to swim after high school, but she does have other plans. She would like to pursue her passion in the medical field, even if it means leaving behind swimming.
She’s still not sure if she will continue to explore the art of swimming, but she knows that helping people is something she can see herself doing after high school and college.
“I do not think I am going to pursue sports after high school,” Allison said. “I have been considering swimming in college but at the moment it is not something I am planning on continuing. I want to be a nurse in the future. I have not focused on planning anything other than that.”
Even though Allison still has one more year of high school, she has learned plenty of things that will stick with her beyond her teenage years. She has been given advice and will continue to pass that advice down to others.
Allison thinks it is important to make good friends and make an effort while you are in high school because it is a big factor in starting out the right way in the real world. Allison has the mentality that patience and hard work is the key.
“If I had to give an incoming freshman one piece of advice,” Allison said. “I would tell them to enjoy their time in high school because it truly does fly by so fast.”