Ady Duarte
AGE 12 SCHOOL Corfman GRADE 8
Last week, hundreds of local swimmers participated in the Imperial Valley Swim League Championships held at the Valley Aquatic Center in Yuma.
Present at the seven-team meet was Ady Duarte, a member of the Brawley Sunstrokers.
The 12-year-old competed in five events at the race taking on challengers in the 11-to-12-year-old division.
At the end of the day, Duarte finished at the top of the podium in all five events earning the High-Point award for the meet.
Duarte competed in the 50 butterfly, 50 back, 100 individual medley, 50 breaststroke and 50 free.
The young swimmer said the race that stood out to her the most was the 50 free.
“That’s my best event and something I swim all the time,” Duarte said.
The 50 free was also her last event of the day, which ultimately landed her the High-Point honor.
“I felt accomplished,” Duarte said with a smile.
The soon-to-be-eighth-grader said she began competing when she was 6 or 7 years old and has always enjoyed being in the water.
“I just like the feeling I get when I’m in the water, it’s relaxing and I just like to do my thing,” she said.
While the IVSL season came to a close at the Yuma meet, Duarte is still competing as she plans to take on opponents at the Far Westerns Championship and Junior Olympics later this week.
“I’d like to make zonescut so I can be on the All-Star team and just continue to improve my times,” Duarte said.
MY FAVORITES Pro athlete Katie Ledecky Pro team LA Chargers Class P.E. TV show Pretty Little Liars Actress Steve Harvey Song “Fireflies,” Owl City Musician Owl City
What do you enjoy most about your sport? I enjoy competing at the meets the best.
What is one of your more memorable moments in your sport? I think whenever I got my Far Westerns times at a meet.
Who inspires you and why? I think my team inspires me because they make me want to go faster and we’re also like a family, so it all works.
What are your goals for the rest of this season? To keep improving my times and hopefully qualify for more meets.