Kindergarten Aidan Gubbins (12) had no way of knowing that his decision to start swimming led him to a future dedicated to the sport. Involved in many other clubs and activities, Gubbins’ commitment to swimming has helped him find the strength to juggle the responsibilities of being in multiple clubs.

“Swimming is literally my entire life. The boys are my family and I could never leave them,” Gubbins said. “I think swimming is really great for building up endurance and mental strength and if I didn’t have swim, I wouldn’t have the strength to do pretty much anything I ever do.”

One of Gubbins’ biggest personal accomplishments happened last spring when he made it to state.

“Back in March was my first time going to senior state. I worked all my sophomore and junior years to make it to that point. I finally did and it was the greatest feeling ever. It was just qualifying, I didn’t even do well at state, but making state was a huge deal for me.”

This accomplishment did not come without its challenges for Gubbins, but it has allowed him to learn endurance to take into the other areas of his life. Gubbins is the senior vice president for student council, a member of the choir, an NHS member, and a few other clubs in addition to the swim team.

“Swim is the greatest challenge. In my day-to-day life, I think it is the most humbling sport ever,” Gubbin said. “You can just get in the pool one day and it wouldn’t necessarily ruin your day, but it can give you a hard time. Once you’ve had to swim so many miles at five in the morning, going to school doesn’t seem so bad, and studying for a class seems easy.”

Far from kindergarten now, Gubbins has now committed to Wabash College specifically for swimming as he plans to continue the sport in college.