Senior Alex Gonzalez, a varsity swimmer, recently signed with the University of Iowa to continue his swimming career. Alex has been swimming competitively since he was six years old.  He has been a part of two teams, Swim Atlanta and North Forsyth. His coaches and teammates have watched him grow physically and in becoming a better swimmer. Personally, I have only seen him compete for one season, but his fans praise him for his progress. 

It is a fact that Alex is fast. Some of his best times include 49.61 seconds for a 100 meter backstroke and one minute and 41.43 seconds for his 200 meter freestyle. Iowa is not a very common school for high school students in Georgia to get accepted to, so Alex and his achievements in and out of the water must have caught the attention of Iowa’s recruiters.  Alex is beyond grateful for this rare opportunity, he says, “Being an athlete in college goes beyond competing, it opens up and allows for many unique opportunities to succeed in college. It’s definitely going to be a challenge for me to compete with some of the biggest names in swimming, but I’m grateful to have the chance.” He has succeeded very well in his young swimming career and has high hopes for college.

Alex has inspired many young swimmers, including myself, to achieve his level of skill. His hard work has pushed him to the point where he is now and set him up for an outstanding future. Becoming a college athlete is a dream for many people, and Alex is living through the opportunity of a lifetime. He continues to preach methods of hard work in all aspects of life and has been fortunate enough to watch all of it work in his favor.