Building discipline, breaking records: Sequoyah swimmer Lainey Blase鈥檚 success story
CANTON, Ga. — Lainey Blase, who will be graduating this May with the Sequoyah High School Class of 2025, has been swimming competitively for 14 years. What she loves most about her sport is the friendships that she has gained over those years as well as how it has helped her achieve discipline in her day-to-day life. This fall, she is headed to the University of Tampa, a NCAA Division II school, where she has earned an opportunity to swim for the Spartans.
Lainey began her swimming career at the age of five as a member of both her neighborhood summer swim team, the Bradshaw Farm Barracudas and the Chattahoochee Gold Club swim team under Head Coach Mark Schilling. She has continued to swim with both teams and even served one summer as an assistant coach for the Bradshaw Barracudas. During her club swimming career, Lainey has accomplished the following:
- Qualified for NCSA Junior Nationals
- Qualified for USA Swimming Futures
- Chattahoochee Gold Short Course Yards Senior High-Point Award Winner (2023)
- Hold team relay records for Chattahoochee Gold
- Georgia Swimming Zone Team (2022) – selected based on performance/top scoring; for team representing the state of GA in meet that encompasses the Southeast region of the US
- Georgia Swimming Golden Peach Perseverance Award (2020)
As a freshman in high school, Lainey joined the Sequoyah High School Chiefs Swim & Dive Team under Head Coach Cora Hodgins and has continued to compete through her high school career. Over the years, she has accumulated many achievements and awards including:
- Sequoyah HS Scholar Athlete Award (2024)
- Sequoyah HS Varsity Swim Letterman (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- Sequoyah HS Swim & Dive High Point Award winner (2023)
- Sequoyah HS Swim & Dive Spirit/Sportsmanship award (2023, 2024)
- Sequoyah HS Swim & Dive Coaches Award (2025)
- Positive Athlete nominee 2025 (by SHS Coach Cora Hodgins)
- Sequoyah HS 4-time Cherokee County Champion (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- Cherokee County record holder in 200 Medley Relay (2022) & 400 Free Relay (2022) – along with her sister Laurel Blase
- Sequoyah HS record holder in 200 Medley Relay (2022) – along with her sister Laurel Blase
- Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News: All County Team (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025*)
- Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News: All State Team (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025*)
* waiting on official announcement for 2025 - GHSSCA 6A All State Team (2022, 2023, 2024)
- GHSSCA 5A All State Team (2025*) – SHS moved to 5A in the 2024-2025 season
On top of her athletic achievements, Lainey has also continued to excel in her academics earning her Academic Letter, as well as membership in both the National Honor Society member and Beta Club. She was also honored as a Kode with Klossy Scholar and through Duke TIP (Duke Talent Identification Program).
Lainey finds that her biggest challenge is not only persevering but excelling in nine鈥攐ften grueling鈥攚eekly practices, including twice a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She shares, 鈥淭his routine can be very tiring, but I manage to persevere by working to keep my body healthy by eating right and getting good sleep.鈥� She has also had to overcome feeling the need to hold back because of the physical pain of racing, which she has done by reminding herself that the pain is only temporary!
The best advice that Lainey has ever received is that you have to work hard for your success; you cannot have 鈥渙ff鈥� days if you want to be great. From a mentor, she learned that you cannot make excuses for why you鈥檙e not performing your best, and that your faith is within yourself.
Lainey鈥檚 goals for her collegiate swimming career include getting even faster in her best individual events which include the 400 Individual Medley, 500 Freestyle, and 200 Freestyle. By doing this, she hopes to score more points and contribute to her UTampa team鈥檚 success at regular season meets, the Sunshine State Conference Meet, and the NCAA Division II National Championship Meet.
Before each race, Lainey鈥檚 ritual consists of listening to music in her headphones and talking with her coach. Being a member of a team has taught Lainey how to step out of her comfort zone and become a leader for her peers to look up to.
Outside of swimming, Lainey enjoys hanging out with her friends and family and exploring the world. During high school, she has also played basketball with friends for fun on a Cherokee Youth Basketball team.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.