Kendra Griffin

About Me:

I recently graduated from Washington State University in the summer of 2017. I received a Full Athletic Scholarship on the WSU Swim Team and competed in one of the most prestigious conferences in the country, the Pac‐12. My freshman year I earned the “Rookie of the Year” award, my junior year I was awarded team MVP and by my senior year I was elected Team Captain. I ended my career with four “WSU All-Time Top 10” finishes in the 200 fly, 500 free, 1,000 free and the Mile (second fastest time in school history). I got my degree in Sport Management with a minor in Business. Currently, I am working on the Premium Sales team for the Seattle Mariners and entering my third season. Besides the Mariners, I am still involved with swimming by coaching privately and continuing to pursue other avenues of how I can continue to stay in the sport.

Heading into my freshman year at Washington State University, I was younger than the average student­‐athlete, 17 years old. Most high school student’s graduate at 18 giving them another year of training and experience. I was born in Colorado but grew up swimming in Scottsdale, Arizona. I started swimming when I was seven years old with the Scottsdale Aquatic Club, which is also where I finished my high school career. Moving away from Arizona wasn’t going to be easy but at age 17 I felt I was ready for the challenge.

Right away the training transition was difficult. In high school I was accustom to six practices a week, once a day except on Sundays, which I thought was a demanding workload. At WSU we trained even more with two‐a‐days multiple times a week and our weight‐training program on top of practice. On Saturdays we usually had a 3­‐hour practice to end the week before our off day on Sunday. I had never trained this hard in my life. I was stressed trying to juggle my schoolwork, tutoring sessions and the everyday life as a college freshman.

Along with these struggles, my performance suffered as well. I wasn’t reaching my best times and felt discouraged that I wouldn’t be able to achieve any of my best times again. I had put so much emphasis on trying to be the best and wanting to prove myself as a young freshman that managing my training and my personal life became overwhelming. In order to positively change my performance and training habits I needed to switch my mindset.

I decided I was going to be successful in and out of the pool no matter what it took. This meant my success and happiness would not be solely tied to the outcome of my races but rather the journey along the way. Luckily, with the amazing support system of teammates, coaches, mentors, and family I was beginning to enjoy college life.

Slowly but surely after winter break, I came back with more experience under my belt. I started to find success with my times in the pool and in the classroom. By February, it was time for the biggest meet of the year. It was the meet that we had been training for all season long, the Pac‐12 Championships. Rather than being nervous of underperforming, my new mindset was confident in the training that I had done. No matter the outcome, I was excited to see what I could accomplish with my teammates beside me. I ended up recording two of my best times while participating in two of the hardest events back to back, the 200 fly and the Mile. I successfully scored points for our team in both events thus leading to my achievement of “Rookie Of the Year” in 2014.

The college recruiting experience is so thrilling, and getting a full ride to a D1 school is a dream come true for any athlete. I am sharing my story of trials and tribulation to show that this transition can be difficult yet extremely satisfying with the summation of ones career. Swimming in college for a Pac‐12 school was the best decision I have ever made. It wasn’t always easy, and it shouldn’t be, but it was worth every minute. From one woman to the next, I hope to be an example of perseverance in finishing what you start. Once one realizes what they are truly capable of, there are no limits to what we as women can do!