Swim senior Chloe Griffiths is known for her kindness toward her teammates – and opponents.
“Usually at home swim meets, I write nice things on the board for the opposing team to read and they think it’s nice,” Griffiths said.
It seems like everyone, especially her closest teammates, sees her kindness.
“She has helped me by always being supportive as my friend and as my lane buddy who does all the sets with me. She is always motivating me to do better and get me out of slumps when I am not doing well,” junior Katie Gruendler said.
Her passion for swimming started in childhood.
“My mom knew I loved to swim during the summer, so she encouraged me to join the local swim club when I was in fourth grade. I have loved it ever since,” she said.
Along with her mom, her family and friends also got her into the sport.
“I have had a couple of family members do swimming. A lot of my close friends either currently swim or they swam in the past,” she said.
Her family also offers support, especially her dad.
“My dad is my biggest supporter. He shows up to as many swim meets as possible. My coaches also support me a lot by encouraging me to do my best,” she said.
Griffiths, meanwhile, supports her teammates, like senior Nathaniel McWilliams.
“She is a strong leader because she always cares about people. It doesn’t matter if you’re her best friend or her worst critic – she will always make sure you’re doing okay and she wants you to be the best you can be,” McWilliams said.
Gruendler agreed.
“She leads us in pre-meet warmups and stretching and helps the underclassmen learn about the team,” Gruendler said.
McWilliams also credited Griffiths with being a great teammate.
“She is always pushing people to become better and she just brings the team to life with her cheer,” he said. “Chloe’s strength is being a compassionate and honest person. She truly does care about everyone.”
Besides being a good teammate, she also has great talent.
“She is a really good swimmer overall and very versatile in the events that she does well in. No matter what event our coach puts her in, you know Chloe will try her best and be competitive,” Gruendler said. “She is specifically really good at sprint-freestyle events.”
Despite swimming seriously for seven years and now leading Baldwin’s swim team, she still fights nerves at meets.
“I get nervous before every race. It’s bad, but I would just say that the way I deal with it is just remembering I’ve done it before and it’s nothing new” she said.
