By BLAISE BRYANT
Contributing Writer
A Saint Rose swimmer takes passion, power, and purpose in and out of the pool.
“I always try and be the hardest working person in the pool, and at my meets, I try and be the smartest athlete,” said College of Saint Rose sophomore Samantha Hall.
Hall said this because she is a distance swimmer. During the Northeast-10 conference championships at Southern Connecticut University, she competed in the 400-yard individual medley, the 500-yard free style, and the mile which is 1,650 yards. Those are 16, 20, and 66 laps respectively.
With distance swimming, it is equally important to be strong physically and mentally. During her 400 IM, consisting of butterfly, back stroke, breast stroke, and freestyle, she finished in fifth with a time of 4:42. In her 500-yard race, she finished in fifth out of nine athletes with a time of 5:18. In her mile swim, she finished in third with a time of 18:04. It is her best mile time in nearly three years.
Hall has been competing in swimming competitions since she was five. Her older sister was also in the pool at a young age, which encouraged her mom to do the same with Hall. She took Mommy and Me lessons in their pool at their home in Andover, Massachusetts. Hall jokes that her mom got her into the pool at a very young age because of her high energy.
When she was six, Hall started competing in individual medleys. Up until fifth grade, her strength was the breast stroke, until she switched to a different swim team at a local YMCA.
“I started doing the mile when I was 11,” said Hall.
Her strategy for doing well in the mile is different from the conventional wisdom of distance swimming. Typically, swimmers are supposed to decrease their 500-yard splits as the race goes on. Hall takes great pride in the fact she has the ability to set a consistent pace that she can keep. During her mile swim at conference championships, she was never ahead or behind more than 0.4 seconds of her pace she set during her first 50 yards. She “hates” nothing more than swimming next to the same person throughout the race. She feels that if she can set a quicker pace than her competition, they potentially feel intimidated and back off.
Swimming the mile for Hall does not come without its challenges. She has asthma, and chlorine is a major trigger.
“I grew up learning that there is no excuse to get out of the pool in the middle of a set,” Hall said.
In between races, her preparation is what her fellow swimmers and divers call strange.
“She dances all the time- it’s unreal how much she can dance,” said junior diver Dave Genender.
Ear buds in, and swim cap covering her head, she dances to keep calm. Her moves are impressive, and she’s the funniest thing on the pool deck, Genender said while laughing. He will dance from time to time, but says Hall’s moves are much better than his.
When Genender met Hall for the first time, he was amazed with how positive and energetic she is.
“She walked in, introduced herself, and made friends with everyone on the team almost instantly,” Genender said.
Hall says her greatest accomplishment in her 15-year swimming career was qualifying for the final heat in all three of her races during last year’s conference championships.
“Generally in distance swimming, the rest of the team just sort of stands in the corner, this time they were in the corner cheering for me the entire race,” Hall said.
Hall takes her positive attitude with her wherever she goes. She was positively sure Saint Rose would be a great fit for her, because she felt at home the second she walked onto the campus. Her teammates made her feel welcome, and everyone introduced themselves.
Being an athlete is only part of Hall. In addition to swimming and classes, she is also a tour guide, and active in several clubs on campus. She has been on the Dean’s List several times. She also volunteers with the Friday Knights program, which is designed for children who have autism. For Hall, the connection to autism is very strong.
Hall grew up having a brother with autism. She has wanted to be a teacher since she was a little kid.
“I was that kid that asked for a projector for my birthday, spent money on textbooks, and would consume my younger brother and cousins’ weekends by making them be my students,” said Hall.
Hall grew up in Andover with three brothers and sisters. While in high school, she was a part of the Andover High School swim and diving team, that were three-time state champions from 2009-2011.
