Welcome to #WOLVESTALK – a SweetwaterNOW exclusive series where Green River High School Wolves inspire our community by telling their stories in their own words.

I am Tavia Arnell, and I am currently a senior on the GRHS girls swim and dive team. I have been swimming nonstop since I was 8. I first wanted to become a swimmer because my two older sisters swam and I looked up to them. Desperate to be just like them, I joined the swim team. About a year into being on the team, my two sisters quit; it wasn’t their sport. On the other hand, I had fallen in love with the water, and my passion began there.

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I was definitely not one of those swimmers that was born with the talent to swim. It took many years before I could do a basic thing like a flip turn. Even though they had to use a calendar to time me, or at least that’s what my coaches said, I never gave up. I was determined to get better, and I loved it too much to quit. I began to get faster and faster to the point where I could compete in higher, more important meets.

I was a state champion for a few years and was climbing up the ladder to more elite competitions where I had to fly out of state. Casey Jensen was my main coach for ten years, with the help of some others like Randy Walker. I will forever be grateful that they were as dedicated to me as I was to the sport.

As I started high school swimming as a freshman, I had the privilege of being coached by Colleen Seiloff. She took the reins from there and helped me continue my mission to improve. I now hold multiple school, pool, and state records, and I can not help but be overwhelmingly grateful for the coaches who helped bring me there. I am also thankful for the teammates I had.

Unfortunately, the bad part to being in a sport for so long is you have to watch your teammates and friends leave for college, and sometimes you’re the one leaving. Even though I will miss them, I am grateful for the time we had together filled with laughter, support, and comfort. Not to mention the support I have felt by my family. They only ever helped lift me up.

Now that I am a senior, my successes have grown. Qualifying for Futures was a huge milestone in my career. Only so many people from Wyoming can say they have gone. While at Futures I was able to get a Junior Nationals cut. I know some of you non-swimmers do not know all these big names, but you can trust me when I say Junior Nationals will be the most important meet I have yet to compete at. This qualifying time also earned me Scholastic All-American, which brings me to today. I am halfway through the season and have some big goals. I hope to get All-American and another state title.

I can not stress how much gratitude I have for my coaches Casey Jensen, Colleen Seiloff, and Avery Otto-Horn. They have stuck with me no matter how hard it got, and it got really hard. I hope when I find the right college for me, the coach is half what they are. I am excited for what comes next and finding out which D1 school I will decide to swim for. I hope I make my coaches and family proud!

GO WOLVES!

— Tavia Arnell