Girls Swimming & Diving: Grandview Heights Bobcats’ Phoebe Ferguson driven to succeed
Phoebe Ferguson wasn’t sure if swimming was the sport for her.
The Grandview Heights senior qualified for the Division II state swimming and diving meet in each of her first three seasons, but the sport was far from being her passion when she first took the plunge.
Ferguson also played soccer and preferred competing with her friends on the pitch over the solitude and monotony of laps in the pool. However, when the time came to chose sports, she decided on swimming and hasn’t looked back.
She holds six individual program records as well as being a member of the record-setting 200-yard freestyle and 400 free relays.
“When I first did soccer and swimming, I definitely enjoyed soccer more because it was a team effort and you’re not alone,” Ferguson said. “When I would go to (swimming) practice, I was ready to quit. I never wanted to go when I was little, but now I never want to miss it.
“I found my love for the sport, and so I quit soccer. I knew if I put in the work I would get better. You have to do what you want to do on your own to get better. In soccer, every game is a team effort. I like to take on my own responsibility, and I want to make it on my own.”
Ferguson has program records in the 100 free (52.47 seconds), 500 free (5:14.98), 100 butterfly (57.09), 100 breaststroke (1:11.98) and 200 individual medley (2:06.51). She also broke her own program record in the 200 free with a 1:51.59 in the Jim Stacy Winter Championships on Dec. 18 at SPIRE Academy in Geneva.
“I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go (at Geneva),” Ferguson said. “I was training hard so my legs and body were pretty sore. The 200 free and 100 free were events I don’t usually swim at prelim-final meets, but I knew I had to trust the process. I could feel at night (during the finals) that I was dropping time from the morning (preliminaries). I knew I was doing well.”
Coach Susan Ferguson said her daughter is ahead of schedule this season. She expected Phoebe to have good performances, but is surprised at how low her times are at this point.
“I knew Phoebe had it in her to hit these times, but it was a pleasant surprise for her to be hitting them when she’s not tapered and after training hard with no rest,” coach Ferguson said. “She has grown into having a competitive edge over the last two years, and I have absolutely been blown away. She has already hit her goal times that she set before the season. She has readjusted those, so it will be interesting to see what she can do.”
Ferguson became the program’s first freshman to reach the state awards podium by placing sixth in the 200 IM (2:07.85). She was seventh in the 200 IM (2:06.69) as a sophomore, and she finished third in the 200 IM (2:06.65) and fifth in the 100 fly (57.16) last season.
“Phoebe has improved in her confidence and her technique over the years,” coach Ferguson said. “She also has added strength training in the last couple of years, and that has helped. She is so much more confident.”
Ferguson has committed to swim at Denison. She has a 4.4 GPA and wants to major in kinesiology.
“With the amount of training it takes to become a good swimmer, there always will be points in your career when you don’t want to swim,” she said. “It’s tough mentally and physically. The amount of effort it takes is tough, but you have to be very committed or you won’t see the results in the end. You have to stay motivated to keep going.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Girls Swimming & Diving: Grandview Heights’ Ferguson driven to succeed
