Since his freshmen year, senior Ryan McLaughlin has been very involved around campus. Not only has he participated in numerous sports, but he’s dedicated more than 800 hours of community service through Interact Club, National Honors Society, and the Booster Club.

This year, McLaughlin decided to dedicate himself to water polo and swim. “Freshmen year I wanted to do water polo, but they didn’t have a team, so I did it this year.”

“I swam for Tiger Aquatics for six years.” Since McLaughlin swam competitively before, playing water polo was not that difficult, “(all I had to do) was get back into the mood of swimming all the time.”

Because he played water polo, he is well prepared to be on the swim team. “I think I’m going to do the medley relay and backstroke.” Even though he has not swam since the seventh grade, he is not nervous for his first meet. “I’ve been in swim and other sports for so long, it just feels like another competition.”

McLaughlin played golf for three school years and was on the cross country team for two years. Aside from all these sports and community service, he also takes two Advanced Placement classes: AP Literature and Composition and AP Government.

“When I’m not playing a sport or serving the community, I do my homework.” He is always very busy and loses a lot of sleep to be sure he finishes all of his homework. Either he goes to sleep late or sleeps early and wakes up early to finish his assignments.

He is a well-rounded student, participating in all that he can and still finding time to do his best in every class.

McLaughlin did not just try out for these sports to “try something new,” he wanted to challenge himself. And with swim, “(he) feels comfortable in the water, it just feels natural.”