I am a 17-year old twelth grader at Ithaca High School in Ithaca, New York. I learned to swim because my parents wouldn't let me take sailing lessons until I was a strong swimmer. When I was 7 and had finished lessons at the Y, I joined Lansing Community Aquatics Team (LCATS). Currently, I swim 15 -20 hours a week with LCATS, where I also help coach the youngest swimmers. I started open water swimming, and specifically swimming with NYC Swim, in 2009 at the suggestion of my friends Maeve and Maureen Russell. When I am not swimming, I go to Ithaca High School, where I especially enjoy science, literature, math and music. I play the French horn and piano, and I also love to watercolor and sketch. I live in Ithaca, NY, a small upstate city at the southern edge of Cayuga Lake, in a house filled with hundreds of books and six remarkable SPCA cats. I love music, animals, books, carbohydrates, and all things aquatic. Although I got sidetracked from sailing to a full-body water experience, I did learn to sail, kayak and canoe, and am certified as a waterfront lifeguard through the Red Cross.