Starting October 19 for four days, sophomore Kathryn Ackerman was selected to travel to Colorado to train with Olympians and swim with girls more her speed and skill. Ackerman is getting more well known in the swim community as she climbs up the ranks each day, now just fresh off of training at the US Olympic Complex.

“It had a really cool National team feel to it,” said Ackerman.

Breaking a school record in her first high school meet brought some attention with it. Being noticed and picked to represent part of the United States certainly adds some prestige as well. Even though athletes want to do well and exceed in their area, swimming can also be about the family and the atmosphere.

“I just like racing and I like having a sport where i can be competitive and also like just being around all the girls at practice,” said Ackerman.

Colorado came with raising the bar on many swim related topics, like what to eat and how to fix form in order to perform at maximum potential. Also trainers were available to help out individually or even whole groups when it was time to coach.

“It’s basically like a national team experience where you get to train with them for a couple of days, you have meetings and they teach you about things like stroke technique and nutrition,” said Ackerman.

Swimming just about every event the high school offers, Ackerman was plucked out and chosen as one of the top 50 girls aged 14 to 16 for the 400 IM (Individual Medley).

“It was really cool, they choose 50 girls from the nation based on their rankings in their event,” said Ackerman. “So I was in the top three for the 400 IM.”

When it comes to sports, swimming sits on the difficult side of the spectrum. However Ackerman seems to be enjoying it despite the day-in and day-out grind of the sport.

“I’d say it is physically super hard, but it’s also a mental sport just because your own thoughts can get in the way,” said Ackerman.

In terms of future plans, Ackerman is currently ranked No. 1 in the state of Michigan and No. 26 in the nation for girls in the class of 2020 according to collegeswimming.com which puts her in a great spot for her next step, college.

“I definitely think I want to swim in college,” said Ackerman.