VHS’ Bagaoisan to swim for South Georgia

mbrown@sunmulti.com

Leanne Bagaoisan, Veterans High swimmer, isn’t done with her accomplishments in the pool. The senior signed a college scholarship on Thursday to compete for the junior college program at South Georgia State College in Douglas.

Starting her swimming lessons at age 3, Bagaoisan achieved the level of USA sectional swimmer at the age of 10.

“Ever since then I’ve been working out as hard as I can,” she said. “To actually get a swim scholarship … it’s been my lifelong goal. Now it’s accomplished.”

Like most young and aspiring swimmers, Bagaoisan had those days when she didn’t want to practice followed by those days she was eager to get going knowing that was the only way she would get better.

When Bagaoisan qualified for southeast sectionals as a 10-year-old, the meet was held in Charlotte, N.C. There, representing Swim Macon, she is standing among all of the best in her age group from numerous neighboring states.

“It was pretty overwhelming, but I enjoyed myself,” she said. “I didn’t get as nervous as I would be at other swim meets. I just thought of it as another swim meet and swam as hard as I could.”

Bagaoisan went on to train with Wes Hamborg and the Warner Robins Aquanauts program.

“He’s been coaching me since I was 14,” she said.

“As a swimmer, don’t quit, don’t give up. Just work as hard as you can because you will go further in the end. You will accomplish many things.”

Those are the life lessons Bagaoisan said she’s gain from all these years of swimming. Her specialties are the backstroke and the individual medley.

In the 100 backstroke, her best time is 1:04.2, and in the 200 IM she’s finished in 2:25. She also swims the 100 freestyle (58.6 PR), the 50 free (26.4) and the 100 butterfly (1:07.2).

“I don’t think (the jump to college swimming) is going to be that hard,” said Bagaoisan. “It’s going to be everyday classes like normal, weightlifting. I haven’t done weightlifting in a while … I’m excited for it. It’s going to be quite a challenge, though, with all my college classes.

“I want to become a physical therapist. I might transfer from South Georgia to Georgia Southern or Valdosta and do physical therapy there.”

As for swimming competitively at either of these or any other four-year school she would attend in two years time, Bagaoisan isn’t sure right now. Her goal as a freshman at South Georgia State, which consolidated with Waycross College in January, is to qualify for the NJCAA championships, and if a good performance there leads to another swimming scholarship offer …

“That would be awesome, too,” she said.

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