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Swimmer topples club's junior records

Danielle Albright is an 11-year-old rising star at Team New Tampa, where she's described as a competitive "drop-dead racer."

By TERRY JONES
Published June 24, 2005

NEW TAMPA - Promising young swimmer Danielle Albright is only in her first season of competing with Team New Tampa, but she has already rewritten nearly all of the swimming club's record book for the 10-and-under age group.

Yet Albright, who just turned 11 last Friday, prefers to spend her weekends hanging out with friends, going to movies, watching TV and playing in her backyard pool.

"We support the idea of allowing the kids to have free-time weekends, rather than compete every weekend," said Team New Tampa coach Mark Tighe. "We don't want them to burn out. Danielle is a drop-dead racer. She has in her mind she will always win no matter who she races."

In a meet in April, she competed in the senior division in the 50-meter freestyle against 16- and 18-year-olds. She won.

So far this season, she has qualified in eight events for the long-course Junior Olympics scheduled for July 12-14 in Gainesville. (Long-course events are measured in meters and are contested in the summer. Short-course events are measured in yards and are contested in the winter.)

Albright has qualified in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyle, 50 and 100 butterfly, 50 and 100 backstroke and the 200 individual medley. She hopes to qualify in one or more breaststroke events before July.

Even if she qualifies for all events in the big meet, she will be limited in the number she will actually be able to swim. Swimmers can compete in only three events per day, so the schedule will dictate some of her participation.

Tighe says she could qualify for every event, but will probably compete in only six.

"I love to swim, but I also enjoy spending fun time with my friends on weekends," Albright said. "My dad controls my schedule and selects the weekend tournaments I swim and he understands I need time to relax with my friends and my coaches agree, even though I hope to go far in swimming."

Swimming is not the only sport she enjoys. She also excels in volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis and running.

"One thing I am learning to do well is balance my schedule so I can do everything I enjoy, without allowing my grades to suffer," she said. "I make straight A's, so I guess I am doing well so far."

Albright will be a sixth-grader at Benito Middle School in the fall.

When she starts high school, she will have to start making some serious decisions about sports, because swimming, volleyball and running (cross country) have simultaneous seasons.

"Volleyball and swimming are my favorite sports, but swimming will probably be my fall season choice," she said.

She started swimming competitively at age 5 in Nashville before moving to Tampa.

As a member of TNT, she has broken all club records set by Kelly Hug in the 10-and-under age group. Hug also won some YMCA individual national championships and was a three-year state placer, swimming for the Academy of Holy Names.

"She has the potential to compete on the college level and we plan to encourage that with her training," Tighe said. "Right now she has fun swimming and just happens to do well with other things also."

[Last modified June 23, 2005, 08:09:06]