When she is not at school, 10th grader Emma Lagattolla can most likely be found wearing a Kneeskin swimsuit in the middle of the pool, somewhere on the East Coast.

At the age of three, Emma learn to swim from Hannah Wiles. She has been swimming at the Yacht Squadron ever since. Emma credits her cousin Morgan as the reason why she wanted to start swimming. “When I saw how Morgan was able to swim the butterfly so fast and effortlessly, I knew I wanted to be able to do the same thing.”

A few years later (about eight years ago), Emma began swimming for a club team, Islanders Aquatics, changing her lifestyle dramatically. Typically, Emma has practice twice a day, six days a week, during the school year and summer. Her family is very supportive of her, especially her mom and grandpa, who take time out of their day to make a daily commute to Sayville.

Spanish teacher Mrs. Lagattolla, her mother, is her coach and biggest fan. She follows Emma to all of her meets, supporting her in every race she participates in. “I admire her dedication and stamina,”  she said.  Emma spends countless hours each and every day in the pool, working towards improving her times all year long.

This weekend, Emma will be competing at State Quals in Suffolk County Community College, for the 200 Individual Medley and 100 Butterfly. At the start of the school season, she said her goal was to make it to State Quals and she achieved it. After states, she will travel all around the East Coast, attending meets with Islanders Aquatics, which will put her name out there in the swimming world, so she can continue competing in the sport that she loves.

Her favorite part about swimming is the result, the feeling inside when she breaks her record, even meet times, although it requires a lot of effort. Emma shared, “Honestly, I think it would be cool to make it to Olympic trials. I am two seconds away in the 50 yard freestyle.”

All of us here at The Hurricane Eye are routing for Emma, and the other Lady Hurricane swimmers, Noelle Profeta and Elena Cunneen, as they compete at State Quals November 5th.