Every athlete reaches a point in their career where they overcome a challenge in order to become the best version of themselves. Senior team captain Lauren Elliott is no stranger to overcoming such obstacles.
Elliott was born with scoliosis; however, despite her injury, she had always believed that she would pursue her passion of swimming competitively in college. Yet, after 11 years of encountering no back issues, her injury worsened in her junior year of high school.
“I was 16 at the start of my junior year and had scoliosis before then, but because I was swimming so intensely, that’s when I first noticed how whenever I pushed off the wall or kicked, it hurt. That was my biggest setback because I had to take two months off of swimming, and once I came back, my swimming was never the same,” Elliott said.
Despite facing a setback, Elliott continued attending practices but ultimately realized she could no longer pursue NCAA Division I swimming. She understood that her body had limits, and despite making accommodations during practices to suit her needs, Elliott had to accept that swimming was merely a hobby for her and not something she could pursue at the collegiate level.
Despite being unable to reach Division I, Elliott continued to partake in her hobby due to her genuine love for the sport.
“I love swimming due to Carlmont’s community, I feel like everyone is best friends on the team. Swimming is also a way to push myself and take my mind off things like school. I just love staying fit and challenging myself because I believe that if I challenge myself during practices, others will see that and challenge themselves to do the same,” Elliott said.
Elliott’s desire to motivate her teammates to push themselves during practices highlights her leadership skills as a team captain.
“She has a lot of respect from her peers and teammates. Anytime she has something to say they listen, which is huge, because it’s not a matter of taking leadership it’s a matter of having her teammates willingly follow her,” said varsity coach Derek Koo.
Elliott’s work ethic and dedication toward swimming earned praise not only from her coach but also from her teammates.
“She’s super active on the swim team, and you can tell that she loves the sport and doesn’t just swim for her own benefit. She does it because she loves the team and sees us as a family,” said senior Samina Ginwalla.
