Juliette

Dear MVP Gators,

Thank you for the endless memories, laughter, and amazing wins over the past thirteen years. It has been the highlight of my childhood and highschool years sharing the pool with all of you. To begin, I would like to thank the MVP Parents and Volunteers for supporting us all season long, particularly those on the Senior Day Committee for making this day special for each of us. Thank you especially to Coach Paul for believing in me and this team for all these years. You prepared me for my best races and comforted me after my worst ones. You answered every panicked text and gave me the encouragement I needed at 4:30am to jump in a cold pool. You made me a better swimmer, athlete, leader, and person. You seemed to have a knack for knowing just when to reach out to check in and motivate me to keep training and stay the course. The MVP Gators are so lucky to have you, and I look forward to seeing the amazing things MVP will do in the future. I will always be grateful for you and look forward to returning to the pool to cheer you all on in the near future. To my Gator teammates, I am so grateful to have been part of this incredible team and swim alongside all of you. I knew my summer had always officially started when I made the “long walk” down Wellington Road, and I got to spend every morning on the pool deck laughing, dancing, and making lifelong friendships with each of you. To my fellow seniors, I have loved swimming with you these past thirteen years. You have made me laugh and smile every single morning. Espcially, playing waterpolo! I am so excited to hear all the great things you will do next year. Finally, thank you to my family. Thank you Mom and Dad for waking up at the crack of dawn with me and driving me to Lee District for 4:30am swim. Mom, thank you for for being my biggest supporter. You are always there for me when I need you and never miss a swim meet. Thank you to my dad for your endless encouragement despite the fact that you still tell me “to move my arms just a little faster.” I always look for you in the gator hat after my races. Liliana, thank you for supporting me rain or shine and sitting through hot swim meets. I am so proud of you and love being your sister. To my brothers, Gavin and Liam, thank you for cheering me on, making me laugh and always giving me “constructive feedback” about my races. I know how proud you are to both be faster or “close to beating me” in 50 freestyle. I am forever grateful that we are one of the only Gator families that had their own (Fore) Medley Relay! As I look back on my time as a Gator, I realize that at five-years old I had no idea what this experience would bring me. From the moment I joined the pool, all I wanted was to swim with the big kids. I was a wide eyed little Gator with foggy goggles who loved to dance before I got on the block. I now realize that I was joining so much more than a swim team but instead a family, one that supported, cheered, laughed and took care of each other. My swim family was my summer constant and brought me more happiness and joy than I thought possible. My favorite Gator memory was when I was eight-years old. Emily Makin, Cage Theriot, Cecy Morales, and I swam the 8u Girls Medley Relay in 2012. We suited up in our little fastskins (I did not even realize they made suits that small), danced to Carly Ray Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” obsessed over Missy Franklin, and broke the pool record. We felt invincible! I loved having the privilege to not only be a Gator swimmer but also serve as a Gator Coach. I always enjoyed dressing up in ridiculously awesome costumes, such as the Incredible Hulk, Superwoman, or head to toe in Duke Gear for Senior Day. The best part of coaching was cheering and teaching the next generation of Gators. I am going to miss this team and family so much. I am so proud to be a Gator. I graduated from West Potomac High School, and next year I will be attending Duke University as a Public Policy and Global Health Major.