Making states in an achievement that takes many people their entire high school career to achieve. For example, last track season Bellwood only sent one athlete to states from both the boys and girls teams, and that was a senior.
Qualifying for a state meet takes a lot of skill and dedication and is something that most people can only dream about doing. However, for one fifth grade student at Bellwood, this dream has already been accomplished.
For this reason, Holland Boone is the BluePrint’s Athlete of the Week.
On March 8 and 9, Holland made a trip to the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio to compete in the YMCA West Districts championships swim meet.
Holland would have an extremely successful outing, qualifying for the state meet in the 50 back, 100 back, 100 fly and the 200 medley relay. She finished in 4th, 7th 8th and 3rd in her events, respectively.
In those events she has personal best times of 36.76 seconds in the 50 back, 1:19.62 in the 100 back, 1:23.55 in the 100 fly, and 2:32.26 in the 200 medley relay.
The state meet takes place at the West Virginia State University on Saturday March 22 and Sunday March 23. Holland will compete in all four events for which she qualified.
Holland swims at Hollidaysburg YMCA. She has been taking swim lessons ever since she was only six years old. With this amount of dedication and drive to get better, it is not shocking to see all of the success that this athlete is having.
When asked what motivates her to get better, Holland said, “My teammates and dropping time help motivate me.”
While many young women’s basketball players look up to an idol like Caitlyn Clark, Holland also tries to model herself off of a young, successful female athlete. Holland says that Leah Shackley has been her biggest role model so far throughout her swimming career. Shackley is a graduate from nearby Bedford High School and was just recently named the World’s High School Swimmer of the Year.
Holland, only being in fifth grade, still has a lot of time to improve and better her skills. By the time she enters high school she will already have 13 years of swimming experience. Holland does plan on continuing her swimming career while in high school.
If Holland keeps at it and works as hard as she is working right now, she will be dangerous come high school.
Good luck to Holland at the state swimming meet from both the BluePrint and all of Bellwood Nation.
