There is little noise as she dives into the pool. Her mind is in deep concentration. The only thing that matters is winning the race. Once that air horn goes off, the world is the water.

Taylor Garcia has been swimming for two years and is currently undefeated. She swims a 100 meter freestyle in 1:12 and a 100 meter backstroke in 1:29.

The senior hopes to take her 4×200 relay team to sections. She has a close friendship with her teammates
“We learned to grow and feed off each other’s energy,” She said.

In preparation to compete for sections running and lifting weights is a part of her free time. However, going from school to practice to work isn’t always easy. Time management is a big issue and everything has to be on time.

“I like swimming and being in the water it’s different.” Part of the reason is for the large amount of time she spends Hawaii.

When Garcia is in Hawaii, she tends to swim a lot and this has helped generate a love for swimming. Swimming is not the only sport she partakes in.

During the fall and winter most of Garcia’s time is taken up by cheerleading. Cheerleading is generally a team sport as opposed to swimming, which is more individual. This was a major change.

“It brought out the competition in me and helped me become more independent.” She is currently interested in swimming at Delta.

Her family is completely supportive of her interest. They attend every meet and are always cheering her on. Garcia would’ve never thought she liked swimming. All it took was was courage to try.