<p>I have been reading this forum and the Ivy forums on CC for over a year and really appreciate all the info that CC members, especially parents, have taken the time to offer others. I finally got the nerve to put up my first post today to share an encouraging story with you.</p>
<p>D was a pretty strong swimmer (state level). Her dream was to swim for Harvard and she understood she has to be competitive both in and out of the pool. She devoted her first two years of high school to studying and practices (those doubles 5 am practices...), sacrificing all other social activities. She loves teaching/children but had no time to volunteer because of the swimming commitment, so she used all her available swimming breaks/non-studying time volunteering in a teaching capacity for disadvantage children. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, she fractured her vertebrates at the beginning of her junior year and repeated rehabs did not work out. Needless to say, the whole recruitment process ended before it really started. </p>
<p>For the grace of God, her strong academic, determination, and the passion for children/education still landed her a spot at Harvard this year. She will not be able to swim there, but we learned that although her swimming did not get her a LL, her commitment to swimming, time management during swimming, resilience through rehab, and dedication to what she loves (swimming) were what set her apart from other academically strong candidates in the admission deliberation process. I just want to share this with all of you who might be disappointed because of an injury or a less than perfect athletic performance. Your devotion and passion to your sport is in itself a boost for your chance to get into your dream school. The grades, EC, and SAT are worth so much more because you did them when you were pushed to the max everyday! Hang in there.</p>
<p>^^^^Great story, so happy for your D. I’m sure she’ll take great advantage of the rich environment and resources Harvard(and Boston) have to offer.</p>
<p>Yes, congratulations and I hope she is having no problems as a result of the injury. </p>
<p>As the parent of a swimmer, I can also say that I bet she will have more time to enjoy Harvard and focus on her studies without having to be committed to the team! She can always swim recreationally if she wants to stay in shape.</p>
<p>We had a swimmer with a similar injury earlier this year, very scary and depressing, but he’s doing well now.</p>
<p>5amriser,</p>
<p>Absolutely awesome story! Attitude is everything. Congrats on raising a winner. She will do very well in life.</p>
<p>Your story really highlights what is important: academics, work ethic, time management, character, attitude, and perserverence. Your D was always more than just a swimmer, and got into her dream school because she really is the “total package”. Well deserved congrats!</p>
<p>Your story warms my heart. Congratulations to you and your daughter!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the kind words!</p>
<ul>
<li>wilberry228, D can still swim in low intensity so she wants to do club at H just for fun and to meet other swimmers. You are right that she can now really enjoy her college experience without the time commitment of a DI team.</li>
</ul>
<p>We are very fortunate that it all worked out at the end. I guess life is like that. It does not always take the route that you have planned. But sometimes you do get what you worked for.</p>
<p>^^^Congratulations!! What a wonderful story, and I really admire your daughter for not letting life’s mishaps get in the way of following her dream. That is awesome!! </p>
<p>“We are very fortunate that it all worked out at the end. I guess life is like that. It does not always take the route that you have planned. But sometimes you do get what you worked for.” - Those are the BEST words - I could not agree more, and they completely apply to our own experience too. Definitely, all is well that ends well 
</p>
<p>Again, CONGRATULATIONS!</p>
<p>thanks for you post. My S has been a nationally ranked platform diver for the past 3 years. He has just finisdhed his Junior year last week and will be having major shoulder surgery this month ( from excessive over training), is in the process of intense PT after his knee surgery 3 months ago, and will need another knee surgery this fall (yes his senior year) in order to be able to function. We are very concerned with our college process that lay ahead of us, because it is most probable that he wont be able to dive again. While his heart wasn’t set on Harvard, he did rely on his diving to help him into a college… as he has been actively recruited, but our issue is finding the right college that also has a program for his learning differences, which make this all so much more difficult. While the Coaches all knew about his LD issues, they were quite clear on what they could or could not offer him in terms of support. Most of the colleges we visited were wonderful, truthful and quite accomodating in so many ways. It breaks my heart as Diving changed his life. After having incurred multiple traumatic issues in his short life, including burying his brother 5 years ago, to having his mom sick with Cancer._… He found Diving as a perfect sport that not only he did very well in but most importantly, kept him focused and made him feel like a million bucks. What more could he want? Well, now he is confronted with 2 more major surgeries, recovering from the last one and emotionally distraught. As a parent, all I care about is the fact that this 17 yr old boy has abused his body to no end, and our goal is to help him heal physically first… and hopefully he can find another passion that makes him feel the way Diving did.</p>
<p>This is so heartbroken… I am so sorry that he has to work through all these at this young age. He will try to find something to replace his passion and time spent in diving because there will be a huge empty space in his heart and his life. The search process is probably most difficult for us parents to see. There is so much sadness, confusion, and emptiness. But he will come through this a stronger, better person at the end. It takes so much endurance, focus, and discipline to be a nationally ranked diver. I am sure he can take on this setback and mature into an incredible young man. There will be a school that will be just right for him.</p>