Page 28 - 2020 IHSAA Annual Report
P. 28
The Story of Emma Wright
Flash forward a year later to the IHSAA Swim- They also learn how to deal with adversity by
ming and Diving State Finals in Indianapolis on gaining a perspective that only gut-wrenching
February 14, 2020. Emma Wright, now a junior, disappointment can provide.
had just finished third, not first, in the 100
freestyle at the state finals with a time of :50.52. Participating in high school sports in 2020
The new champion was one of Emma’s best also includes a lesson in patience. The
friends, Kristina Paegle, a Bloomington South coronavirus has had a profound effect on
sophomore who completed the race in :49.57. every student-athlete in Indiana, especially
swimmers like Emma who are used to being in
“At first, I was sad. I was disappointed. I was the pool at least once, if not twice, a day.
a little bit down on myself,” said Emma. “And
it really bothered me when a newspaper “I haven’t been back in a pool since the state
reporter wrote that ‘I came up short.’” finals, which was months ago,” she said with a
frustrated smile. “I’ve never had this long of a
“People don’t understand what high school break. There’s not a pool in Hobart with water
sports are about,” explained Tomiko. “Emma in it. My body needed to recharge, but I really
didn’t come up short. She performed to the miss the release that swimming provides.”
best of her ability at that moment in time. Who
could ask for more?” Emma’s story has a happy ending in lots of
ways. Soon after the 2020 swimming and
“I’ve lost more than I’ve won,” continued diving state finals, the head coach at the
Emma. “You can’t appreciate what it feels like University of Houston called Emma and
to win until you lose. That’s where motivation offered her a scholarship, which she accepted
comes from. It’s how you learn to pick yourself on her 17th birthday. “I felt so welcome during
back up.” my official visit,” Emma explained. She also
has her senior year at Hobart, the chance to set
Emma Wright’s story is being repeated more school records and another state meet
hundreds of times every year in Indiana. to look forward to. Plus, she’s learned some
Student-athletes like Emma celebrate sport valuable life lessons.
in a myriad of ways—winning a big game
against an archrival, capturing a conference “I have much more of an open mind than I used
championship, setting a new personal record to,” said Emma. “I know anything is possible.”
and maybe, just maybe, having the opportunity
to be a state champion.
“Emma didn’t come up short.
She performed to the best of her
ability at that moment in time.
Who could ask for more?”
–Tomiko Wright, Emma's mother
28 INDIANA HIGH S CHOOL A THLE TIC ASS OCIA TION Annual Report 2020