London Calling: Local Girl a Swim Away from Olympic Dreams

The "little fish in a big pond" metaphor is no stranger to Kyra Sarazen, as the 5-foot, 2-inch North Hampton teen has routinely squared off against much bigger — and older — fish during her swim meets.

The size differential — as well as the fact that the 15 year old is typically 2-to-5 years her competitors' junior — is something Sarazen said only enhances each of her successes, especially since she has cut down on extracurricular sports, afternoons with friends and free time in general in pursuit of a longtime dream.

It's paid off, though, as Sarazen moved one step closer to that dream at Harvard University over the weekend while racing college-age, Division I athletes.

Sarazen's personal-best time of 2:17.76 secured a win in her 200-meter backstroke event and, more importantly, cemented a spot for the Exeter Swim Team member in the official U.S. Olympic Trials for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

"When I got it, I started crying," said Sarazen, whose dream is to compete in the Olympics. "Everything I had done for past year or so was worth it. The feeling was like — I can’t even explain the feeling. It's so great to know everything I've worked for has happened, dreams come true and goals are obtainable.

"It took a lot of sacrifices. I gave up basically my whole life to reach the goal I had for myself."

Sarazen — the daughter of Dave Sarazen, chairman of the North Hampton School Board — said she begun training heavily last year in order to prepare herself for a strong showing in the trials qualifier, which had a cutoff time of 2:17.99.

Sarazen, who just finished her freshman year at St. Thomas Aquinas in Dover, will depart with her family and coach on Friday to Omaha, Neb., for the trials, which begin the following week.

While she said showcasing her talents against older, "elite" athletes has been rewarding, Sarazen said she also has another enormous reason to celebrate and eagerly continue her Olympic push: teammate and close friend Izzy Reis, a Hampton Falls resident and Berwick, Maine, Academy student, has also qualified for the trials.

Reis qualified earlier this spring in the 100-meter butterfly thanks to a time of 1:01.98 — just one one-hundredth of a second under the trials cutoff. Sarazen said the support of her parents and family have been rewarding, she said having a friend at every step of the experience has helped ease the "nervous" and "scary" portions of the journey.

"It's been so great," said Sarazen. "She's been the best support, and she's the best teammate I could ever ask for. We both can relate to each other, which makes it that much better. We're not alone, and even though swimming is an individual sport, she's always there at end of my lane cheering for me. It's been really great and I'm glad she's going with me."

The depth of her qualifying win and the honor that comes with the U.S. Olympic Trials berth hasn't yet "hit" her, said Sarazen, although she expects it'll truly sink in once she arrives at the trials pool and gets a chance to "see what's going on."

Sarazen said she "know[s]" she is "not going to make" the Olympics this year, although she's holding out a little bit of optimism she'll be able to do so. She also "like[s]" the extra bit of motivation that comes with the fact that she said she's "not expected to do well" at the trials because of her age and size.

Regardless of outcome, Sarazen said she'll take the trials experience against the favored adult swimmers as just that — experience, which she said will eventually help her fulfill her Olympic dreams.

"From where I am at now, it feels like I'm on top of the world and I can feel a bright future ahead of me," said Sarazen, who said she plans to continue "tapering" her in- and out-of-water workouts so she's rested for the trials. "The experience and just being able to go and prepare for meets like this will only help me in the future."