Rising Stars: Elle Achberger

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Elle Achberger wasn’t sure if she would ever swim competitively again.

She had been a swimmer most of her life but decided to take a full year off when she was in seventh grade to refocus on herself, her schoolwork and her family.

“I really didn’t know if I was going to go back,” she says. “I just didn’t know if swimming was the thing for me. I talked about it with one of my coaches at the time, and she really helped me. She always believed in me, and she really inspired me a lot. She helped me come to my decision that swimming is something I really enjoy doing and I should definitely get back into it.”

And that’s just what she did. Achberger’s year off helped her take a mental break away from the sport before returning more motivated and committed than ever.

She started swimming again at the start of eighth grade and has since experienced more success than ever, winning the state title in the 100-meter free and state runner-up in the 200-meter free.

“(The year off) really helped me because I came back much stronger and more determined,” Achberger says. “There was one year when I never missed a single practice because I was so motivated. I had these goals set, and I wanted to accomplish them.”

The successes don’t stop there either. The rising junior has already broken a Baton Rouge Magnet High record in the 100 free with a time of 52:95 and she doesn’t plan on stopping there.

“I have a lot of cuts that I want to make for certain meets,” Achberger says. “When high school season begins, I have all these goals that I want to achieve. I was looking at the (other) school records, and I think a few of those I want to try to break.”

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