While most sports can take you far in life, junior Amelia Donald has found a way to turn hers into a lifelong career. By taking her love for her sport and country, Amelia plans on joining the Coast Guard Academy.
For the past four years, Amelia has been a part of the FHC Swim Team and is currently a swimmer on the women’s varsity team. Even if her swim career started off with a rocky and rather unprecedented start, she has created a strong passion and love for the sport.
“I’ve been doing swim since seventh grade,” Amelia said. “It was kind of unusual, since it wasn’t my choice to join. My mom forced me to. But I’m glad she did because I ended up really loving it. If she hadn’t forced me, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
Even though swimming is the main reason she’s on the team, the community and team-related activities have been an overall highlight. With seniors leaving and new freshmen incoming, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who. This is why the varsity swim team has participated in a thrilling tradition called “Cottage Weekend.”
Cottage Weekend is just as it sounds. The entire team stays together for a weekend in a cottage doing team-building activities and growing bonds that will hopefully fuel their season. This weekend has become a core memory for both Amelia and others on her team.
“The swim community is really good. We do this thing called Cottage Weekend before every swim season starts to get to know each other. It’s a great way to meet the incoming freshmen and make them feel included,” Amelia said. “We do a lot of activities like tubing and sitting around the fire. I really enjoy doing ‘hot seat’ questions around the fire. Even after Cottage Weekend, conference competitions are also a really good experience. Especially since you can support your teammates while getting to swim.”
With competitions, cottage weekends, and an overall great team, it’s no wonder Amelia has found her passion through swimming. The bonds created between her teammates and herself are bound to last a lifetime.
However, it’s not all clear skies for the team. Being a part of the FHC varsity swim team takes a lot of time and dedication; it’s definitely not for the weak. Amelia finds herself sacrificing both free time and study time in order to fully immerse herself in the world of swimming, which is paramount if she wishes to join the Coast Guard later in life. When watching her swim, you can tell she has shed blood, sweat, and tears to get where she is now.
“During swim season, you don’t have a lot of time for free time and academics,” Amelia said. “Along with daily practice twice a week, we have two two-hour practices a day, one in the morning and then one in the evening. So I have to work on time management, which I know will help me later in life, especially in the Coast Guard.”
Even though swimming has engulfed almost every aspect of her life, Amelia knows her efforts are worth it. Because of the constant strain and practice, Amelia can get a taste of her future in the Coast Guard.
While her love for swimming fueled her future in the Coast Guard, her family has played a large role. Amelia comes from a predominantly military family, so it was no surprise to her or her family when she found herself enrolling in the military to follow in their footsteps.
“I want to join the Coast Guard because I’m part of a military family, and I want to serve my country,” Amelia said. “My mom was in the Navy, and my dad was in the Marine Corps, while my brother and sister are thinking of joining the military as well. It just feels right.”
Even though Amelia feels ready to join the Coast Guard after high school, the idea of only having one year left on the FHC swim team is one that’s bittersweet. For Amelia, her senior year will be one of “lasts.”
She has gained so many memories through her team, and it’ll be hard to let them go. However, Amelia feels that the Coast Guard Academy will be an opportunity to both grow in her skills and meet new people. While the Academy will be different, Amelia is confident it will be somewhat similar to where she is now.
“Both the Coast Guard and the FHC Swim Team are very structured; there’s always a schedule,” Amelia said. “Both are very competitive as well. And while it’s individual, both are also somewhat team-based. Time management, accountability, work ethic, and a strong mindset will be paramount with the Coast Guard, and I’m glad I’ve been able to sharpen those skills through swimming. However, it’s going to be very different as well. The Coast Guard Academy is a college, so there’s more academics involved. And in high school, you only deal with high school-level issues and young adults. FHC isn’t as big as the Coast Guard Academy since [the Coast Guard Academy] is from all over the US. But, meeting new people will be fun, and hopefully they’re as sweet as my current swim team.”
Swimming has taught Amelia so many things, and will continue to in her senior year. Overall, swimming has taught her how to be the best version of herself she can be. The Coast Guard will be dramatically different than where she is today, however, it can also be comfortably similar.
Making a change like this is something that would scare away a lot of people; however, Amelia is ready to push herself and face her fears. She loves her country and swimming, and Amelia is confident this is the right path for her.
“Swimming has played a big part in making me the person I am today,” Amelia said. “I believe it will continue to in my future career. With the amount of pressure swim has, it might not be for everybody, but I’m so glad I’ve found it.”
