4 minute read
The Dampier Swim Sisters
Montgomery Swim Stats:
State Runner-Up in 500 Free State 4th in 200 Free State 6th in 400 Free Relay State 10th in 200 Medley Relay TFS Record - 100 Butterfly TFS Record - 500 Free TFS Record - 200 Medley Relay
SWIM SISTERSTHE DAMPIER Madison Swim Stats: TFS Record - 200 Freestyle TFS Record - 200 Individual Medley TFS Record - 100 Free TFS Record - 100 Backstroke
It’s unusual for an athlete to come into a program and make an immediate impact and become a leader.
Both of those things happened multiplied by two for sisters Montgomery and Madison Dampier when they relocated to Tallulah Falls School from Ocala, FL. The family found their way to TFS when Kyle Dampier took a field and facilities manager position; he also serves as assistant baseball coach.
“It felt like the right place for us,” says Montgomery, a senior who recently signed to continue her swim career at Georgia Southern University. She could tell from the start that she would do well at TFS.
“When I first saw the TFS Natatorium, I thought it was great. The atmosphere was very welcoming, and I knew I could succeed here.”
Madison, a freshman, echoes that it was the “right fit” for the Dampiers, who live in nearby Tiger. Quickly, the sisters helped an already great program reach new heights.
“The TFS swim program has a solid foundation of pushing swimmers to be their best in and out of the water, with success in the regular season as well at the state level every season since the program’s inception,” says head coach Rachel Nichols. “We have seen the attitudes the girls bring to practice inspire their teammates to demonstrate their own best selves. The dynamic that Madison and Montgomery have brought to our program has created the perfect storm of success for all swimmers, not just the girls themselves, with this season’s competitive performances.”
The duo has established seven school records and posted GHSA state-qualifying times in multiple individual and relay events. Often, the sisters will break each other’s records and personal best times.
“Madison and I have a very healthy competitive relationship,” adds Montgomery. “Especially since the move, she has kinda been there to push me, and I push her. With times and records, we know who’s better at what already, but a lot of playful teasing and trash talk is always involved.”
“The competition between us is entertaining to watch,” adds Madison. “Every time Montgomery sets a record, I am very proud of her, but at the same time, I do want to beat it. I believe that this is very good for us because it makes us push each other harder.”
Of the records the girls already set in 2021-22, Madison holds the school mark in the 200 individual medley, 100 freestyle, and the 100 backstroke. Montgomery has the record in the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, and 500 freestyle. The sisters are also part of the school-record 200 medley relay. While those records and accomplishments may not sink for some time, the memories they’re crafting in the process will never fade.
In the state championships at Georgia Tech, Madison broke her own records in the 200 IM and 100 Fly, finishing fourth overall in both events. She and Montgomery were sixth in the 400 Free Relay and 10th in the 200 Medley Relay. Montgomery was a state runner-up in the 500 Free, and fourth in the 200 Free, where she set a new school record.
Montgomery and Madison’s driving force and motivation are nearly identical.
“God gave me this talent, and I’m not going to waste it,” states Madison, who has hopes and dreams of one day swimming at the University of Georgia and in the Olympics. “I’d tell my younger self to have fun and go for it because you only get one chance to do things.”
“Be yourself and work hard because being a ‘tryhard’ is one of the best things you can be,” adds Montgomery. “I want to keep working hard to be better. Of course, I swim because God gave me this talent, and all glory goes to Him because He has given me this gift.”
Making a big move can be downright difficult for many athletes and can become a hindrance. That wasn’t the case for these girls, especially Montgomery, who spent her first three years at Forest High School in Ocala. Even after their dad, a Rabun County native, took the position at TFS midyear; his girls wanted first to finish out their seasons in Florida while he lived for five months away from his family.
Fortunately for the girls and the TFS community, it all worked out very well. The teammates at TFS have helped make the transition smooth for the Dampier sisters.
“The immediate friendships that happen when being on a team and working together has made moving here easier,” states Montgomery, who has also gotten involved in FCA and the Syncro Club at TFS. “Seeing people you know at school, and you know they have your back.”
Both Montgomery and Madison have excelled in the pool, as well as in the classroom. While they are alike in many ways, they also approach their time in the pool differently.
“I feel like we both swim with a purpose, but I think that everyone has a different purpose,” says Madison.
Montgomery’s time will be shorter at TFS, and Madison’s is just beginning. However, the legacy the Dampier girls are writing will be remembered well past their swimming days.
