Eat, Sleep,

Cherokee County High School Competitive Swimmers Shine

BY HAILEY WEINER

For some, swimming is just a fun, summer activity to partake with friends and family on a hot day. For others, it is a great way to exercise while not having to worry about sweat stains or joint pain. For the very few, swimming is life.

With typically two practices a day and a five- to six-day active week, competitive swimming is not for the faint of heart. While most are enjoying the comfort of their covers at 4:30 a.m., many of Cherokee County’s swimmers are in the pool, getting their laps in. With about 20 hours per week in the water, some local athletes practically have grown gills, effectively living by the lifestyle of breathe, sleep, eat, swim.

There is an abundance of star swimmers floating around town, but few have risen above the rest. Astrid Medina, a 2023 Etowah High School graduate, has quite a few achievements under her swim cap. With eight years of swimming for a club team and four for her high school team, Medina certainly earned her title as the 2022 and 2023 season Most Valuable Player for Etowah. She was the captain for Etowah’s team. And she is the captain of the Chattahoochee Gold Swim Team, as well as its national team, where she qualified for junior nationals in February. Atop this, she won Etowah’s 2023 Athlete of the Year Award for Women in Sports Day. She has just taken off from the block and will continue her swimming career at California State University, Bakersfield. Laurel Blasé, a 2023 Sequoyah High School graduate, is not just known for her fiery red hair but also for her fiery passion for swimming. Blasé spent the last four