In November 2017, Lauren Hemburrow signed a Letter of Intent with NCAA Division 1 New Mexico State University to be part of the Aggies swim team in 2018-19. With this Lauren takes one more step towards achieving her dream of swimming at the Olympics representing Canada in the pool.

Her mother, Tanya, has been her #1 supporter. She gets up in the wee hours of the morning, makes protein-loaded breakfasts, drives to the pool and back all with tireless dedication to help Lauren pursue her goals. And Tanya would have it no other way. Lauren started swimming in backyard lessons and with determination, effort and family support swam her way to an NCAA scholarship. This is the story of how Tanya has supported her daughter in pursuing her dream – their journey thus far.

“Imagine. Believe. Achieve.”

Finding a sport – they have to love it

Tanya has four children – Justin, Lauren, Hannah and Maya. She wanted her children to find one extracurricular activity that they enjoyed and to stick with it. It’s what moms do – they support their children and help them learn the importance of living a healthy and active life. What she quickly realized was that the child has to want to do the activity, love it and be committed to the time and effort required to progress through that sport. If the parent is driving the process, it could be a constant struggle just to get out the door.

For six years, Justin, Tanya’s eldest, went to karate – a commitment that requires attending at least 3-4 classes per week. He worked his way through the belts but just didn’t love it. After every milestone – achieving the next belt – they would discuss if Justin would continue because there was no quitting mid-belt. After the brown belt, they decided to give it up. The lesson learned for Tanya was the child has to feel the love for the activity or it’s too much of a struggle.

When it was Lauren’s turn to enrol in something, Tanya decided they would do things differently. When Lauren was three, she took up dance. Perhaps not the most graceful three-year-old, Lauren danced to the beat of her own drum. So they moved on to gymnastics. That seemed to work for about two years but still they weren’t sure it was “the one” either. Next, they tried cheerleading and after that achro. Tanya was willing to let her kids try different things so long as they had an extracurricular that they enjoyed.

Swimming – the discovery

When Lauren was heading into grade 5 (age 10), Tanya asked her what she wanted to do. Lauren had a good friend that swam with the Selkies in Aurora – a pre-competitive program – and she wanted to give swimming a try. Again, wanting her children to do something they loved, Tanya agreed to check out the program.

Each summer Tanya put her kids in swimming because it was important that they learn to swim. Lauren’s first instructor noticed that she had a really nice stroke. When they had mini swim competitions at the end of lessons, Lauren would dominate. Tanya heard more than once, you should put her into competitive swimming. So when Lauren brought up the idea of swimming with the Selkies, Tanya decided to give the pool a couple of months and see how it went. Lauren swam two or three times per week in the pre-competitive program and really enjoyed it.

Pre-competitive program

After a couple of months, there was an inter-club competition to give these young swimmers a taste of what meets are all about. The coach put all the swimmers in 10 or 12 events each. Lauren was still fairly new to the sport, but in her 10 or 12 events, she placed either 1^st or 2^nd in every one. After each race, Tanya could see the energy in Lauren – she loves to win and loves to compete against herself.

By the end of the meet, the coach approached Tanya to ask if Lauren would be interested in the competitive program. It would mean being in the pool about 9 hours per week. Lauren was pumped and was very interested. Yep...she was doing it.

Soon after, Lauren was at her first real competition. She had great times but her technique wasn’t quite there – she DQ’d (disqualified) a few of her races. That first year of competition was a real growing year but there was never any question about whether the pool was for her. Lauren loved to practice – she had found her love.

“There is a critical distinction between the elite athlete working for herself vs. the parents driving the process.”

Competitive beginnings

Lauren swam for two years with the Selkies. In grade 7, she began swimming with the Aurora Ducks. By now, Lauren could see her own potential in the pool. She kept a journal and her entries showed how much she loved to swim. She wrote about her dream of going to the Olympics one day.

The move to the Ducks brought focus, hard work, improved technique, and maturity. Jana and Sam Montgomery were her coaches and they made a huge impact on Lauren’s swimming. Lauren continued to improve throughout the year and was really responding to the coaching. Sam saw something in Lauren and everyone could see the potential she had to take her swimming to the next level.

The next step – the BC experience

At the end of the season, Jana and Sam were moving to British Columbia to take over a club there – Shuswap Swimming in Salmon Arm. Knowing how important it is to have the right coaches and the right program for your child, Tanya spoke with Jana about where Lauren should swim the coming year.  Jana, recognizing the connection that Lauren had with her, went out on a limb and asked Tanya to consider sending Lauren with them to BC.

This was a huge decision – letting Lauren move away with the coaches that had helped her see her potential. After much soul searching – Tanya agreed to let Lauren go to BC.  For every reason not to send her – finances, Lauren being too young, the complete leap of faith in this coach – there was a good reason why they should send her. And while it was a complete leap of faith, it just felt right. Tanya knew the connection that Lauren had with Jana and knew this was the right next step in Lauren’s swim career.

“It was a complete leap of faith but it just felt right.”

Jana and Lauren had a great connection – a free spirit that Tanya felt was the perfect fit for Lauren at this stage of her life. The program Jana and Sam put together was very structured and Tanya knew that Lauren responded well to their coaching. Lauren was so pumped about the move to BC and all the pieces seemed to fall into place. They were doing this.

The pre-move preparation

Jana helped Tanya connect with a parent from the club and who also just happened to be the guidance counsellor at the middle school Lauren would be attending. She told Tanya all about the community, the team, the school and the teacher. Tanya connected with the school to explain Lauren’s situation and they were confident they could make it work. Before long, Tanya felt comfortable with the community, the school, and the swim team.

At the end of August, Tanya moved Lauren to BC. Tanya got Lauren settled in Jana and Sam’s new home, at her new school, and at the new club. The night before Tanya headed back to Ontario, they went out for dinner. Their waitress knew who Lauren was – she had been a swimmer too and she made Lauren feel like a superstar.

The next day, Tanya headed home and she knew she had made the right decision. Lauren never looked back. With FaceTime, they talked every day. And Jana was a great co-parent – she was fiercely protective and kept a close eye on Lauren.

The right decision at the right time

The BC experience was just what Lauren needed at this stage in her progression. In 2014, at the age of 13, Lauren achieved her first national time by swimming the 50 Fly (butterfly) in 30.78 seconds. This time qualified Lauren for Western Canadian Championships – not an easy feat for a 13-year-old. Overall, it was an amazing year that most certainly was the right decision at the right time.

Senior competitive program – Newmarket Stingrays

After a great year in BC and with Lauren heading into high school, she decided to move back to Ontario. The year away had been a good one but she missed her family and decided to come home. She started swimming with her current club, the Newmarket Stingrays, and coach Alan Swanston.

Lauren is now part of the Stingrays National Senior team. This means she is in the pool six days a week – putting in over 20 hours in the pool. Of those six days, four of them she is on deck by 5:15 am. She typically swims 2 hours before school and then another two hours after. Dryland training is part of the routine as well.

In addition to all her training, Lauren finds time to give back and coach the little swimmers just getting started in the pool. She is really enjoying the coaching and passing on her love of the pool to the next generation.

Recruitment – the next step

Up until March 2017, Tanya helped Lauren progress through the competitive world of swimming on her own. Looking for the right post-secondary swim program is a little overwhelming. There are so many options – over 800 swim programs/schools to choose from. At that point, Tanya asked for help.

What Tanya learned is that it’s important to start the process early on in high school – by grade 10 preferably – studying for SATs, introducing yourself to prospective programs through social media. Parents and athletes should start by looking into potential programs, talking to other swimmers who have looked into US programs, and do your research sooner rather than later – do not leave it to grade 11 to start.

The Stingrays have information on their website to help parents understand the scholarship process. Check it out here.

All about Lauren

One of the most important things Tanya sees and loves about Lauren the elite swimmer is how supportive she is of her teammates. Lauren is successful as a swimmer because she herself as her greatest competition – she competes against her own times each and every time she is in the pool. If someone betters her time, she is happy for them and she sees this as an opportunity to improve herself and strive for more. She is the first to congratulate a teammate on a job well done and recognizes the opportunity to work harder to push herself to that next level.

Lauren is one of those athletes that talks the talk and walks the walk – she owns it all. She is comfortable in her own skin and is willing to do what it takes to strive for more. To her, she is not sacrificing anything to pursue her dreams in the pool – she sees it all as what needs to be done to achieve her goals. She is driven by her own potential and loves her sport. A winning combination for success.

“She is driven by her own potential and loves her sport.”

Advice from a mother’s perspective

For Tanya, the best way to support your child on their journey to an NCAA swim program is captured below in the following pieces of advice:

1. Passion: the main thing to realize is that the athlete or child must have a passion for the sport. The child has to love it and be all in. The parent cannot be the driving force – this has to come from the child.
2. Good with the bad: Even if your child loves the sport do not expect that all days will be good days. There will be tough ones along the way but it’s all part of the journey. Be prepared for the good and the not so good.
3. Decisions in the progression may be tough but trust your instincts: Don’t be afraid to try new things as your child progresses through their sport. You know your child and what they are capable of – so trust your instincts. Sending Lauren to BC was a big move but the right one at the time.
4. Recruitment: start the process early – in grade 10 – with studying for SATs, introducing yourself to prospective programs through social media. Do ask for help because the choices can be overwhelming.

“The main piece of advice is that the athlete has to have the passion.”

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