Grace Sorensen is a junior at Bellingham High School and competes on the girls swimming team. As a sophomore, Sorensen broke the school record in the 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke. She also won the 2A state title in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly last year.
“I was pleased to see the hard work being paid off,” Sorensen said. “It takes a lot of discipline but I was pretty happy about it.”
Sorensen, 16, began swimming 12 years ago because her sister competed for the Bellingham Bay Swim Team (BBST).
Since Sorensen began swimming, she has developed in and out of the pool, learning life lessons such as consistency and discipline.
“Getting faster is harder and it has taken a lot of maturity not to break down over stuff like that,” Sorensen said. “What used to be my problem was comparing myself to my old times. I am now focusing on what went well in the race and what can make me better for the next race.”
She has continued to swim because her teammates have become her extended family.
“I really like coming to practice and racing with my teammates,” Sorensen said.
Since Sorensen is becoming a premier swimmer, she is hoping she can use her platform to be a role model for younger swimmers.
“As I get older, the kids need to have somebody step up and I want to do that for them,” Sorensen said. “When the high school season is done, I invite them to compete at BBST so they can see some more improvements.”
Sorensen has become a role model and state-caliber swimmer through her work ethic. Although it is tough to shave time off in swimming, she believes if she continues to work harder, the time will steadily drop.
Sorensen hopes she can drop her time to an Olympic Trials cut before graduating high school and continue to compete at a Division I college. Sorensen is ranked the fifth-best swimmer in Washington and 131st in the nation for the Class of 2026.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
