Below is a poem that was written by Kate Beckish, a senior at Wren High School in Piedmont, South Carolina and a 2020 commit to West Virginia University, about how she cannot wait to reunite with her sister, Lauren Beckish (WVU class of 2023). Kate submitted the poem for her senior English class outlining just how much she has missed her sister in the pool and at school.
5:00, We grab our bags and get in the car
We start with weights then get into the pool, the next thing I know we’re rushing to school
Our school day is full from one class to the next, each minute planned out no time for rest3:10 before I know it we’re off to practice number two
We put on our same nasty wet suits, and dive into the same ol’ pool
We smile at each other and push through another three hours set
We get in the car and make our way home, same day really is a tollWe talk about our day the way home, or we turn up our new favorite song
Some days it’s a pain to always be doing the same thing
I once begged for space but now that I have it, I don’t like being alone5:00 I grab my bags and get in the car
I start with weights then get into the pool , the next thing I know I’m rushing to school
My school day is full from one class to the next, each minute planned out no time for rest
I move from one class to the next, I force a smile and put forth my best
Each minute breaks me down, with a second to spare
I look all around but she’s no longer there3:10 before I know it I’m off to practice number two
I put on my same wet nasty suit, and dive into the same ol’ pool
I make it through another three hours set
I get in the car and make my way home, same day really is a toll
I turn my head for a smile, but you’re no longer sitting there
The car ride home is silentI used to call her but it was never the same
My silly high school problems don’t make up for the fact that she’s still 500 miles away
I want to tell her I miss her but that sounds silly to sayWe lived the same life day after day
My problems were her problems, my day was her day
Oh how I miss having two over one, oh how I long for the silence to be done7:25, was the exact time I signed
Oh how I can’t wait for the time
When that 500 miles will turn to zero
Oh how I miss her
Thank God I get spend the next two years with my sister
About Kate Beckish
“I’ve been in the sport of swimming for what seems like forever, but it’s really only been eleven years. To be honest I really don’t know what got me started in the sport. It was probably the fact that our mother insisted we participate in some type of sporting activity and my older sister, Lauren, who did not like to sweat, seemed to naturally migrate to swimming. Since she swam I swam. From then on my mom would take us to practice every day after school. We originally swam for Anderson (South Carolina) Swim Club, until it shut down in 2012, and then we joined Team Greenville. We quickly fell in love with the team and the amazing coaching staff.
“By the time I turned 13, Lauren, two years older than me, and I were in the same training group. This meant that we did everything together. We went to school together, practiced together, and then drove home together. Spending that much time with one person definitely started to cause some problems; we would fight constantly about all the little things sisters fight about. I could not wait for her to graduate and for me to have the whole upstairs at our home to myself. Finally some peace and quiet. But after a while, I started to miss the little things. I missed the fact that my sister and I knew exactly what each other were going through—from school to practice to even our friends. I didn’t realize how much I needed her there until she left for college.
“When I first started looking at colleges to swim at I looked everywhere except West Virginia University. I assumed Lauren did not want me at the same school; she would have her thing and I would have mine and that would be that.
“When Lauren came home for Christmas she went on and on about how much she loved the team, the school, the coaches, and how quickly Morgantown became like a new home for her. Then she asked me if I had reached out to any of the coaches. I was caught off guard. I didn’t think she would want to go to school with me for another two years. In January I went to go visit her, and watch her swim. The meet I happened to attend was the last home swim meet at their old pool, and the stands were full of alumni. At the end of the meet all the swimmers, graduated and current, circled around the pool, arms linked, and sang the unofficial school song, John Denver’s Country Roads. It was incredible. As soon as I got home I reached out to the coaches and quickly set up a visit for the fall. I took a few other official visits in the fall, and meet a lot of amazing teams and coaches, but when it was time for me to leave my recruiting trip at WVU, I didn’t want to go home.
“There were a lot of factors that contributed to why I decided to commit to West Virginia University, but the most exciting thing was that I would get to swim with my sister for another two years.
“I want to thank all my coaches, teammates, friends, and family that helped me get where I am today. I’m very excited for what the next four years will bring, and as always.. Let’s go Mountaineers!”
Love this! The Mountaineers are lucky to get such a devoted pair!
Congratulations-wonderful girls, and happy they can swim together at a top notch program that is definitely rising. I’m just a little curious though, we keep hearing how girls should not lift weights until they’re in college. If I’m reading the poem correctly, weight lifting around age 15?
We didn’t lift weights until college. Kate used the term weights in the poem as a substitute for dryland because it fit better with the flow!
HUGE congrats to Kate for making your verbal! This poem is beautiful the story was very heartfelt. I can’t help but feel good for you! Go Mountaineers!