A small, barely noticeable movement on the block. Blink and you’d never see it. Senior Hailey Deming has watched the video, and she can’t see it. But it was enough to get her disqualified from the sectionals her junior year.
She felt unease wash over her when she slipped into the unfamiliar pool at Lakeville High School that morning. The waters felt cold and thick: an unlikely and odd combination.
Deming had a bad feeling as she began her warm ups. The 50 free is a technical race. One single wrong movement means five seconds added to your time. And Deming knew she did well. As she popped her head out of the water, she saw an official walk up to her coach. She knew at that moment that the official was there for her or her teammate.
She took a breath and got out of the water. Her coach called out her name. She had been disqualified for movement on the block. Her qualifying race turned to horror, when there was movement on the block. Deming could feel tears building up in her eyes. She wasn’t going to state her junior year.
“It was awful, it was horrible,” Deming said. “I went and sat in the corner, crying.”
This disqualification affected her performance in the subsequent races. She spent the rest of the day isolating herself. Her coach made the decision to pull her out of the 200 free relay. So close yet so far away from her goals, Deming felt defeated.
She has the video of that race in her camera roll and sometimes looks back to it.
“The only thing that kept me going was that this is my junior year,” said Deming. “I still have another year.”
Starting her swimming career at a young age, she found her passion for swimming the backstroke at the Tigers Sharks Club at the YMCA. She swam backstroke throughout her middle school years. In high school, she became more of a distant swimmer. Deming still does backstroke in the medley races when she is freestyling. Her coaches played a big role in her swimming journey.
“My coach Anna [Anderson] pushed me, motivated me and kept me in the mindset that this is going to happen, and it can happen because I’m able,” said Deming who came back her senior year determined to leave the past behind her and get to state.
She began dropping time. She broke 26 seconds in the 50 free. She dropped two seconds in the 100 free. Two more in the 50 free. She cut four seconds in total.
“This season Hailey was seeded second in the 50 Free,” said swim coach Angel Welch. “We knew she could qualify for state, but races like the 50 can be wild and unpredictable. It’s an event where every fraction of a second counts. But when Hailey showed up for section finals, she put her fears aside, rose to the occasion, and swam with the determination of someone destined for state.”
Deming didn’t leave it to destiny. As Deming was getting ready to dive into the water during the 50 freestyle at sectionals, she didn’t know what was going to happen to her, but she knew two things: one, she worked hard and whatever happened she had done her best and two, she wasn’t moving a muscle. She dove into the water and left her opponents behind. She broke the water and realized she had just done it. She was going to state.

“It was super cool to reach a goal that I had been working towards my entire swim career,” said Deming. “Probably one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.”
She punched her ticket to the Class A State swimming and diving meet in the 50-yard freestyle with a second place finish and a time of 25.3 seconds.
“This achievement highlights Deming’s dedication and hard work throughout the season,” said Activities Director Dave Langerud. “The Albert Lea community is thrilled to cheer her on as she competes on the state’s biggest stage.”
Deming had her team behind her throughout the whole journey, supporting her. And most importantly she had herself. Deming is not only involved in swimming, but also track and field, National Honor Society, Link Crew and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was nominated as queen on the Homecoming Court.
“As our team captain, Hailey leads with courage and inspires resilience in those around her,” said Welch. “She works tirelessly, shows kindness to everyone, and never fails to make us laugh. I’ve coached Hailey since she was 12, and she has always been a beacon of light on our team!”
Deming doesn’t know the results of her race at state. She chose to leave it unknown. Despite not knowing the outcome of her final race as a Tiger, she is grateful for the amazing opportunity and glad she left her high school swimming career on a high note.
This is not the end of her swimming career though. Deming will be attending the University of St. Thomas to study biochemistry and swim as a Tommie.