Being able to juggle academics and extracurricular activities and be tremendously outstanding in both takes a very special kind of a person.  And Hayes Hyde (SHS '08) is just that special kind of a student and athlete.  Now a freshman and swimmer at Yale University, Hayes continues her very disciplined and goal-oriented attitude that has gotten her this far.  Her profile in Yale's Athletics website http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-swim/mtt/hyde_hayes00.html is enough to dazzle anyone who would ever imagine to accomplish as much as she has.  And she is only nineteen.

 

Yet Hayes never really thought she had any special talent for swimming; she simply loved the sport.  What she did know was that if she worked hard enough she would be able to pursue her goals.  Growing up, Hayes did every sport imaginable: dancing, gymnastics and synchronized swimming until she was eight, playing soccer until she was ten and then basketball until she turned twelve. Then it was water polo from 6th grade until through high school.  The mix of sports had actually gotten Hayes to believe that she would be choosing between basketball and soccer in high school and that swimming would only be something on the side.  Little did she know that this would all change.

 

Around the time Hayes arrived at SHS, she also began to train at DACA (De Anza Cupertino Aquatics).  As she began to narrow her athletic pursuits in freshman year, the encouragements of her two coaches - Pete Raykovich and Mark Taliaferro – made a real impact on her; they made her see the swimmer in herself.  Not only did Hayes begin to focus solely on swimming, she also began to focus on training; by that time the challenge to swim in college had become quite real to her and she knew she needed to put all her efforts behind one sport to reach her goal.

 

Swimming at Yale is a lot more training - which was completely anticipated before Hayes got there.  However, still, it takes up nearly all of her time except studying.  Where Hayes routinely participated in a variety of extra-curricular activities in high school, at Yale, she limits them.  As any committed athlete would, Hayes does not see this a negative aspect as the time is devoted to swimming.  Hayes likes the fact that in college the team is much more like a family with the athletes taking classes together, eating together, and doing fun activities like movies and game nights together.  Hayes finds the team much more bonded at Yale than her teams in high school. 

 

Even with her busy schedule, Hayes still finds the time to involve herself with WISER (Women’s Intercollegiate Sports Endowment and Resource) - an invitational organization of women athletes devoted to philanthropy.

 

When asked what she remembers most of her days at SHS, Hayes says undoubtedly the Every Fifteen Minutes, the ASB meetings in the office, and going to CCS for both water polo and swimming.

 

Hayes firmly believes that dedication is the path to collegiate sports.  She says, "My advice is to work hard, and really enjoy what you are doing.  If you have passion and really wish to compete in college, there will be people looking for you." 

 

 

P.S.  Hayes was breaking Yale records as this article was being composed.  Competing in the Ivy League Championships, she broke two Yale records by finishing 1st in the 200 fly, 2nd in the 200 IM, and 3rd in the 100 fly.