“There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond and to know one’s self.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

It may surprise you to know that some consider Benjamin Franklin to be the inventor of artistic swimming when he performed something he called ornamental swimming for observers along the Thames in 1784.

I discovered artistic swimming when I was 9 years old. My name is Lily Wark and I am now 17 years old. This year, I made the decision to pursue the sport at the highest level I could. This involved moving across the country, joining a new club, working with new coaches, and living away from home. While I wouldn’t trade it for the world, it’s not without its hardships. Naturally, training at this level requires many hours in the pool, leaving little time for working to raise funds to help pay for the number of routines and the types of experiences that are required to get to the most elite levels in this sport.

Artistic swimming is both a beautiful and extremely rigorous sport that has not yet earned its due in terms of recognition for its difficulty and artistry. It is one of the only sports that is dominated by women at all levels from athletes to coaches and officials. It provides a unique environment for female athletes to thrive and grow not only into strong athletes but strong people. As I continue to grow as an athlete and work towards my goals such as the Canadian national team, it is also a goal of mine to help make high level artistic swimming more accessible in smaller communities, such as my home community of Thunder Bay.