By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — She still has another competitive swimming season of waking up at 2:30 in the morning and driving down to Kernersville to train with her club team — six days a week and even getting back to Watauga High School in time for her senior year classes — but those days will soon be but a distant memory for Lauren Patterson. On Nov. 8, she officially to enroll and compete next year for the University of Kentucky.
It’s not that she won’t still be putting in miles upon miles of swim training when competing for the Wildcats. She will have all that and maybe even more work in the weight room as an elite athlete competing for a major, Division I university. But at least for six days a week she will have an “extra” four hours a day.
“You have to admire Lauren’s commitment to excelling in her sport,” Guenther Rodriguez, Patterson’s Kernersville coach said to High Country Sports while Patterson was getting photographed with friends, family, teammates and coaches after the signing ceremony. “To do that for the last four years, six days a week, with two hours each way driving every day, well, that is a grueling schedule for anyone.”
While Patterson had previously committed to swim at Kentucky last year, Nov. 8 was the first day of the National Signing period when she could make it official.
Patterson is blessed with two swimming coaches, Rodriguez with her club team and longtime Watauga High School coach David Gragg, who has steered Watauga to strong Northwestern Conference and regional performances even before the team was able to train in the new Watauga Community Recreation Center pool a couple of years ago. When Patterson started swimming for Watauga as a freshman, the team did not have a regular place to train.
Looking out at the big crowd gathered for her signing ceremony, tears edging past the corners of her eyes, Patterson said, “You have all had such a big impact on my life. I love you all.”
