Clare, a junior in high school, has been on the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA Swim Team since the summer of 2021, although she’s been swimming competitively for almost a decade. “I heard great things about the program here and knew there were very fast swimmers here who I had competed against. I decided this was the right move for me.”

Clare, who is also on her high school Swim Team, describes herself as a competitive person. “I like the feeling of winning and training hard to achieve the big goals that I have.” One of those goals is to make USA Swimming’s National Junior Team for individuals ages 18 and under. There are several criteria to qualify, including being the top two athletes with the fastest times in each Olympic Event. This is a step before going on to the National Team with the top swimmers in the country.

Earlier this month, Clare got one step closer to her goal when she was selected to participate in USA Swimming’s National Select Camp at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The elite training camp featured 48 of the nation’s fastest emerging female swimmers. During the camp, swimmers learned about post-race recovery, drug and supplement rules, psychological training skills, nutrition, race strategy and more.

“I was really excited,” Clare said. “I learned that there is a much bigger side to swimming than the physical side. There’s a big mental side when it comes to preparing for races and visualizing what you want to do in the races. Also, it’s important not to put too much pressure on yourself and have faith in your training.”

Clare’s advice to other young athletes: “Work hard and don’t give up after one bad race. You have to keep going and learn from each race, even if it’s not your best time.”