*Written by GNAC Communications Specialist, Eddie Lockhart
Very few athletes get the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. Fewer still get to choose which sport they play. Anne Fougere is one of those few.
The Saint Joseph's College of Maine sophomore swam and played field hockey her freshman year for the Monks. This year she chose to focus her efforts on swimming, at least for now.
"I had been swimming the longest. I always got more enjoyment out of it," Fougere said. "I loved field hockey but swimming is the one sport that helped my physical and mental wellbeing."
A broken foot playing field hockey last year contributed to her decision as it hampered her first season in the pool.
"I couldn't put that full effort in I needed," Fougere said. "Without field hockey I was able to jump right in and it has paid off the last couple of weeks bringing me to where I am now."
That payoff has come in the form of a qualifying time for the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association Championships and a GNAC swimmer of the week award.
"That topped off everything I have been working toward and everything I have working for at St. Joe's," Fougere said. "It was a great honor and really solidified what I am doing here."
Swimming also provides a greater physical and mental challenge for Fougere than any other sport she has participated in.
"You can only push yourself as far as you'll let yourself go," Fougere said. "It's still a mental challenge of knowing how much I can handle and pushing myself further than I could push myself before."
Fougere comes into a race expecting her opponents to push themselves to the limit just like she does. She likes that competition and lets it motivate her to hold nothing back. If a race doesn't go her way she knows it was not a question of effort and she will prepare better for the next one.
Her work ethic is a perfect model for the type of team the Monks are trying to build as they grow the swimming program.
"I think by showing underclassmen including myself, showing that we are a program working towards things, it's nice to see that for incoming freshmen that we're building an excellent program they want to be a part of," Fougere said.
To help build that image Fougere wants to see her team succeed at the GNAC championships in December and end up ahead of their fourth place finish a season ago. They are also working to raise money to fund the team's first-ever training trip this winter by selling t-shirts with the player's names on the back.
She has stepped up as a team leader and in the process is trying to spread the awareness and popularity of the program across campus over the next few years.
"We're still teaching this school how to have a swim team," Fougere said. "We want to build this program and make it big at this school and hear people talking about going to the swim meets and not just the team getting people to go. We've grown so much even from last season and that's great to see."
While she will continue swimming her last two years at school, Fougere isn't necessarily done being a two-sport athlete. She plans to participate in field hockey practices in the spring before making a decision on whether she returns to the team next fall. She misses her field hockey teammates and wants to remain part of that team as well. If she doesn't return to the field she wants to manage the team next season.
Either way, she has the rare luxury to choose.
One thing she is working on doing during her time on campus is raise the awareness and popularity of the swim team, which is only in its seventh season.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
