NHS swimmer ties for athlete of year

KateLynn Slaamot
NLJ Correspondent
 
Although her high school swim career has come to an end, home school senior Hannah Gross has a lot to be proud of as she looks back on her four years with the Newcastle High School team. This year at the 3A State Swim Meet, she took second in both her races and tied for 3A Athlete of the Year with Cody swimmer Tara Joyce. 
“I was super excited,” Gross said. While she didn’t meet some of her goals for this season, Gross said that she did her best and is happy with her performance. 
In the 200 freestyle, which she won last year, Gross swam against Tara Joyce, a fast swimmer who moved to Cody from California. Gross posted her season-best time in that race, a 1:58:40, and she placed second by a margin of less than a second to the Cody swimmer. Gross also placed second in the 100 backstroke. 
“I was satisfied because I felt like I gave it my all,” Gross said, adding that swimming next to Joyce was a challenge for her and made her push herself more because she wanted to make her earn her win. 
Gross smiled. 
“I was with her the whole time,” she said. 
However, perhaps the most exciting accomplishment this year and a good way to round out her high school career was Gross tying for Athlete of the Year with Joyce. While shocked, Gross said, she was also extremely honored. The coaches vote on the award, and it was a reflection of Gross’ attitude and interaction with others, according to those around her. 
“I think her attitude during the meet was very positive,” said Lydia Anderson, friend of Gross’ and member of the swim team. She also noted that that attitude caught the attention of the coaches. 
Gross is an empowering member of the Newcastle team, Anderson said, always encouraging her team and helping them along. In addition, Gross also cheers on members of other teams at swim meets and readily congratulates them. Overall, Gross is a great role model, Anderson said. 
“She’s such a good friend and a good swimmer,” Anderson said.
Raeleigh Shipp, another friend and teammate, said that she is “joyful” and encourages the team. 
“She’s very much a joyful part of the team,” Shipp said. “She makes
the team come together in many different ways.” 
Shipp said that Gross encourages the team to work hard and that her great sportsmanship is something to look up to. She’s always interacting with the other teams, Shipp said, and has inspired her own team members so much that it will enable them to continue in a positive atmosphere. 
“Hannah encourages others to do their best and is quick to congratulate them on good swims. She is also genuine. She has trained hard during her swimming career and can relate to the struggles that other swimmers are going through. I think that allows her to give honest praise and encouragement to others and also humbly accept praise for her own success,” said Doug Scribner, coach of the high school girls swim team. 
Gross also credited her faith as a reason behind the award. 
“My goal this season was just to let Christ be magnified,” Gross said, noting that she wanted all she did to be a reflection of Christ and who he is. That that is what she wants people to remember about her, she said. 
In addition to this year’s accomplishments, Gross has had a successful four years of high school swimming. According to her mom, Teresa, she has grown immensely since her freshman year in both swimming and leadership skills. 
“She’s very disciplined and self-motivated,” Teresa said. 
Scribner also mentioned Gross’ work ethic as a reason for her long-term success and said that Gross exemplifies an impressive “commitment to setting goals and prioritizing her time and activities in order to accomplish those goals.” Gross’ competitive spirit also pushes her to improve. 
Gross said that she is thankful for her parents’ support, as well as the encouragement of her coach through her years of swimming, and she said that she couldn’t have done it without any one of them. 
“I definitely credit God with everything,” Gross added. “I hope he used me through it.” 
Beyond the accomplishments and hard work, Gross said, she learned something extremely valuable this year. While she can be hard on herself to meet her goals sometimes, she learned this year that having fun and enjoying the sport is just as important. 
While the accomplishments are fun, and she is grateful for them, Gross said that it’s the memories that will last a lifetime, far beyond the time when the recognition may fade. Gross reminisced about many fun memories she had this season, whether it was eating a giant pumpkin roll with Anderson after the state meet as their first taste of sugar all season or watching a movie with a few of her teammates. 
As this chapter is coming to a close, Gross has some words of advice for her younger teammates. 
“I hope they love the sport for what it is. Don’t be afraid to have fun,” she said, adding that while hard work is important and can get you far, it’s important to learn to find joy in the effort. 
While Gross has decided not to swim in college, she said, she wouldn’t trade any of her experiences over the past four years. Gross plans on attending Jackson Hole Bible College, a one-year apologetics program. 
“I felt like God was calling me to something else,” Gross said. 
Teresa said that she is excited to watch her daughter grow into a godly adult and grow in her faith. Both Anderson and Shipp said that Gross’ strong faith has had an impact on them, and they hope she will continue to seek Christ and give him the glory. 
“We’ll just see where God takes me,” Gross said.