Young Swimmer Looks to Make a Splash at the State Games of America
Hadley Long [Indiana, PA] started swimming at eight years old when here dad decided to sign her up for swimming lessons, and now at sixteen, she hasn’t looked back. When she started the lessons, it was clear that Hadley was improving rapidly. Her swim instructor noticed how talented she was and asked Hadley if she wanted to be on a swim team. From there, Hadley began to swim competitively and quickly moved up competition levels. Hadley competes in many different events, including the 200- and 500-meter freestyle, the 200- and 400-meter individual medley, and the breaststroke. She says her favorite competitions are the freestyle events.
Currently, Hadley swims for the YMCA and her high school team. She also won a gold medal at the Keystone State Games in Pennsylvania. Hadley’s biggest goals moving forward are improving every day and swimming faster times. Hadley swam in relays at the Pennsylvania high school state swimming championships but also wants to qualify for the individual competitions.
Hadley says there have been difficulties along the journey of swimming. “When you hit a peak in swimming, that mental block is hard. You just have to push through that and keep improving.” Hadley stated that her teammates are her favorite part about swimming. The relationships that she has built make the difficult grind of swimming all worth it. She also believes that those friendships have impacted and changed her as a person. Additionally, Hadley mentioned her family encourages her and helps her push through the mental and physical blocks from swimming.
Those challenges have only improved Hadley as a swimmer and a person. The biggest thing she learned is discipline and what it takes to be successful each and every day. Being disciplined and working hard is not always fun; swimming can be very difficult, but Hadley knows it all pays off in the end.
Hadley is competing in the upcoming State Games of America. She is looking forward to competing against new people from across the country. Additionally, she is excited to see a whole new state, new facilities, and a new pool. Besides swimming, she is looking forward to the Opening Ceremony and exploring Iowa with the rest of her team.
State Games of America Swimming will take place Friday, July 29 - Sunday, July 31 at the Wellmark YMCA Pool in downtown Des Moines. We want to wish Hadley safe travels to Iowa and best of luck to her and all the athletes at the State Games of America!