Neighbor News
Gold Swim's Ainsley Clark Sets Her Sights on Rhodes College
"Gold helped me realize that my dream to swim in college could be reality and they helped me have the confidence to pursue this dream."
Chattahoochee Gold swim club's Ainsley Clark has chosen Rhodes College to further her athletic & academic pursuits. The Rhodes campus is in Memphis and the Lynx compete in the NCAA Division III Southern Athletic Association.
Ainsley says, "I chose Rhodes as I really loved the school and felt that it was for me right when I got on campus, and I really liked how they cared about academics and the life after college. I feel that Rhodes College chose me as I have balanced both swim and school well as I have gotten good grades at school while balancing my swimming which I did well at and continued to get better at over the years."
As a competitive swimmer for Woodstock-based Chattahoochee Gold, Ainsley says her proudest achievement in the pool was earning her first state meet qualifying time in 200 Backstroke as a 12-year-old, "As it was a goal I was working toward for a very long time."
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But Ainsley reveals that the best part of being on the Gold team was simply the people, "The friendships that I made through the team are my favorite part as they are friendships that will last forever."
Ainsley credits two Chattahoochee Gold coaches in particular for her swimming success. "Coach Austin (Sumrall) and Coach Jasmine (Green) really helped me succeed in competitive swimming as they really helped me find my love for the sport and helped me grow within the sport." Coach Austin sees great things ahead for Ainsley, "It has been a pleasure to get to know and coach Ainsley over the past few years. She has been a wonderful part of our team and culture, and I know she will continue to promote great team values as a swimmer at Rhodes. Go Lynx!"
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In the classroom at Rhodes, Ainsley will study Biology and plans to eventually be an occupational therapist for kids. In regard to swimming at the college, she says, "I hope to grow in the sport and grow connections with people on the team through the sport."
Now 30 years old, Chattahoochee Gold trains its swimmers at the Woodstock Aquatic Center, Mountain View Aquatic Center in Marietta and Cumming Aquatic Center in Forsyth County.
