Post by Charity on Feb 24, 2004 0:08:42 GMT -5
Homeschoolers Win Swimming Scholarships To Division 1 Schools
by Timothy Farnham
Two if by sea
06/23/02
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Jon (left) and Daniel Farnham, who were home-schooled, each have received swimming scholarships to Division I schools.
Almost as if they were racing, Jon and Daniel Farnham came into the world on the same day - a fitting beginning for twin brothers who have been, in many ways, each other's stiffest competition. Clearly, the gifted swimmers, who have each earned NCAA Division I swimming scholarships, appear to be in a league of their own. And while there's no fierce sibling rivalry between the two, there is a competitive edge that drives them both. "It's not like we have a huge rivalry or anything," said Jon, "but we definitely push each other." Fortunately, push has rarely come to shove for the 18-year-old brothers. Instead, Jon and Daniel learned early in life that they could accomplish a lot more as teammates than as opponents. They have formed a formidable alliance, both in and out of the pool. In the water, they teamed up to form half of a four-man relay team that is among the best in the nation. (Younger brother, Adam, by the way, represents the third leg on the team). Furthermore, Jon and Daniel have always been ideal training partners, helping each other through rigorous workouts that often include swimming 11,000 yards on a daily basis. "We are always motivating each other," said Daniel, "and I really think it has played a major part in our success." A brotherly bond As tight as Jon and Daniel are in the pool, they have an even deeper relationship out of the water. The two have roomed together, played sports together and gone to church together for as long as they can remember. They have also schooled together - at home - since the beginning. And this fall, when college starts, Jon and Daniel will take a five-hour trip to Kentucky together in the family automobile. But Jon and Daniel will remain together only for the first leg of the journey, as the trip will ultimately have different destinations. First stop will be the University of Kentucky, where the Farnhams will say good-bye to Jon, who hopes to make waves, figuratively, for the Wildcats' program. After that, the Farnhams will travel to Louisville University, where they will drop off Daniel, who plans on making a splash for the Cardinals. The two schools are located only 45 minutes apart, which is a bonus for the brothers but not necessarily a selling point. "I don't think they really took (the schools' close proximity) into consideration when they were choosing where to go," said their mom, Barbara. "Really they just wanted to go to the school that suited them best." But now that it has worked out this way, Jon and Daniel are excited about the possibilities. "I think it is pretty cool that we will be close," said Daniel. "We can hang out together on the weekends, and catch a concert or something." "It's kind of the best of both worlds," added Jon. "We can do stuff together, but we will also have our space." The trip to Kentucky this fall will represent a segue into the next phase of Jon and Daniel's swimming careers, which started only as a social outlet but developed into something much more. Diving In As is the case with most successful athletes, Jon and Daniel started young. While living in Virginia, they were both swimming by age 7, and doing it year round by the time they turned 10. "I've always liked the water," said Jon. "I kind of got into it as a social thing. When we were little, all of our friends were on swim teams, so we wanted to do that, too." But Jon and Daniel didn't just join the team, they became the team. Both experienced large amounts of success virtually from the start, and it proved to be a sign of things to come. "When I was 12, I finished sixth at the state champs and that was kind of an eye-opening experience for me," Daniel. "It made me aware of how well I was doing." With their swimming careers taking shape, Jon and Daniel moved to Georgia when their father, Tim Farnham, took a job at Berry as a computer information officer. Shortly thereafter, Jon and Daniel joined the Three Rivers Swim team, where they continued to excel under coaches Brooks Coville and Laura Mumber. Later, they joined the Kennesaw Tidal Wave, coached by Tim Nun, which is a private team that offered a broader schedule and a chance to compete in larger meets. All the while, Jon and Daniel were winning titles and earning attention from college coaches - an impressive feat for any athlete, but particularly so for Jon and Daniel, who took somewhat unusual paths to their success. Making a Choice Generally speaking, most gifted high school athletes don't have to go looking for attention. It comes to them. Region and state tournaments serve as the perfect stage for high school players to showcase their talents, and college coaches get a chance to see the athletes first-hand. But what happens when you are home-schooled and don't "play" for state-affiliated high school teams? In years past, the answer wasn't too pleasant. Even the most athletically gifted home-schooled students often had their work cut out in the recruiting process. College coaches either didn't have the time, or didn't want to exude the energy, that was required to evaluate the athletes who went to non-traditional schools. But Barbara Farnham - who is, unofficially, the public relations director for Team Farnham - was determined to prove that home-schooling was not necessarily a recruiting drawback. And with some hard work, and a good deal of prayer, she accomplished that goal. By the time Jon and Daniel graduated, both had been heavily recruited, and each had several colleges to chose from. "It is really amazing how it all came together, and we give God all the glory," said Barbara, a prayer warrior. "When the boys were young, we felt like God was calling us to home school. So, we put our trust in Him and, as always, He was faithful." Barbara was reminded of that fact not long ago while helping Jon and Daniel get through the red tape in the recruiting process. One day, while feeling particularly overwhelmed by the chore, she received an uplifting piece of news. "I was on the phone with (the administration office at one of the universities), and I was getting a little bogged down," she said, "and I happen to mention to the lady on the phone that my husband works at Berry. "Turned out, the young lady was a Berry graduate," Barbara said, "and from that point on, she helped us out in any way she could. "And those type things happened over and over," she said. "It's been obvious that God has been there for us every step of the way." Thanks to the determination of families like the Farnhams, home-schooled athletes are no longer falling through the recruiting cracks. "I hope that our story will be an encouragement to other home-school children," said Barbara. "We found out that it can be done, and I think we will see more and more of it in the near future." Daniel and Jon say they are ready to carry this torch. "In a way, I take pride in our situation," Daniel said. "And I hope others will look at us and see that it is possible to get a scholarship, even if you are home-schooled." Yes, Jon and Daniel Farnham are the pioneers. They have forged a new trail - a path that will doubtlessly be followed by home-schooled athletes in the years to come.
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by Timothy Farnham
Two if by sea
06/23/02
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Jon (left) and Daniel Farnham, who were home-schooled, each have received swimming scholarships to Division I schools.
Almost as if they were racing, Jon and Daniel Farnham came into the world on the same day - a fitting beginning for twin brothers who have been, in many ways, each other's stiffest competition. Clearly, the gifted swimmers, who have each earned NCAA Division I swimming scholarships, appear to be in a league of their own. And while there's no fierce sibling rivalry between the two, there is a competitive edge that drives them both. "It's not like we have a huge rivalry or anything," said Jon, "but we definitely push each other." Fortunately, push has rarely come to shove for the 18-year-old brothers. Instead, Jon and Daniel learned early in life that they could accomplish a lot more as teammates than as opponents. They have formed a formidable alliance, both in and out of the pool. In the water, they teamed up to form half of a four-man relay team that is among the best in the nation. (Younger brother, Adam, by the way, represents the third leg on the team). Furthermore, Jon and Daniel have always been ideal training partners, helping each other through rigorous workouts that often include swimming 11,000 yards on a daily basis. "We are always motivating each other," said Daniel, "and I really think it has played a major part in our success." A brotherly bond As tight as Jon and Daniel are in the pool, they have an even deeper relationship out of the water. The two have roomed together, played sports together and gone to church together for as long as they can remember. They have also schooled together - at home - since the beginning. And this fall, when college starts, Jon and Daniel will take a five-hour trip to Kentucky together in the family automobile. But Jon and Daniel will remain together only for the first leg of the journey, as the trip will ultimately have different destinations. First stop will be the University of Kentucky, where the Farnhams will say good-bye to Jon, who hopes to make waves, figuratively, for the Wildcats' program. After that, the Farnhams will travel to Louisville University, where they will drop off Daniel, who plans on making a splash for the Cardinals. The two schools are located only 45 minutes apart, which is a bonus for the brothers but not necessarily a selling point. "I don't think they really took (the schools' close proximity) into consideration when they were choosing where to go," said their mom, Barbara. "Really they just wanted to go to the school that suited them best." But now that it has worked out this way, Jon and Daniel are excited about the possibilities. "I think it is pretty cool that we will be close," said Daniel. "We can hang out together on the weekends, and catch a concert or something." "It's kind of the best of both worlds," added Jon. "We can do stuff together, but we will also have our space." The trip to Kentucky this fall will represent a segue into the next phase of Jon and Daniel's swimming careers, which started only as a social outlet but developed into something much more. Diving In As is the case with most successful athletes, Jon and Daniel started young. While living in Virginia, they were both swimming by age 7, and doing it year round by the time they turned 10. "I've always liked the water," said Jon. "I kind of got into it as a social thing. When we were little, all of our friends were on swim teams, so we wanted to do that, too." But Jon and Daniel didn't just join the team, they became the team. Both experienced large amounts of success virtually from the start, and it proved to be a sign of things to come. "When I was 12, I finished sixth at the state champs and that was kind of an eye-opening experience for me," Daniel. "It made me aware of how well I was doing." With their swimming careers taking shape, Jon and Daniel moved to Georgia when their father, Tim Farnham, took a job at Berry as a computer information officer. Shortly thereafter, Jon and Daniel joined the Three Rivers Swim team, where they continued to excel under coaches Brooks Coville and Laura Mumber. Later, they joined the Kennesaw Tidal Wave, coached by Tim Nun, which is a private team that offered a broader schedule and a chance to compete in larger meets. All the while, Jon and Daniel were winning titles and earning attention from college coaches - an impressive feat for any athlete, but particularly so for Jon and Daniel, who took somewhat unusual paths to their success. Making a Choice Generally speaking, most gifted high school athletes don't have to go looking for attention. It comes to them. Region and state tournaments serve as the perfect stage for high school players to showcase their talents, and college coaches get a chance to see the athletes first-hand. But what happens when you are home-schooled and don't "play" for state-affiliated high school teams? In years past, the answer wasn't too pleasant. Even the most athletically gifted home-schooled students often had their work cut out in the recruiting process. College coaches either didn't have the time, or didn't want to exude the energy, that was required to evaluate the athletes who went to non-traditional schools. But Barbara Farnham - who is, unofficially, the public relations director for Team Farnham - was determined to prove that home-schooling was not necessarily a recruiting drawback. And with some hard work, and a good deal of prayer, she accomplished that goal. By the time Jon and Daniel graduated, both had been heavily recruited, and each had several colleges to chose from. "It is really amazing how it all came together, and we give God all the glory," said Barbara, a prayer warrior. "When the boys were young, we felt like God was calling us to home school. So, we put our trust in Him and, as always, He was faithful." Barbara was reminded of that fact not long ago while helping Jon and Daniel get through the red tape in the recruiting process. One day, while feeling particularly overwhelmed by the chore, she received an uplifting piece of news. "I was on the phone with (the administration office at one of the universities), and I was getting a little bogged down," she said, "and I happen to mention to the lady on the phone that my husband works at Berry. "Turned out, the young lady was a Berry graduate," Barbara said, "and from that point on, she helped us out in any way she could. "And those type things happened over and over," she said. "It's been obvious that God has been there for us every step of the way." Thanks to the determination of families like the Farnhams, home-schooled athletes are no longer falling through the recruiting cracks. "I hope that our story will be an encouragement to other home-school children," said Barbara. "We found out that it can be done, and I think we will see more and more of it in the near future." Daniel and Jon say they are ready to carry this torch. "In a way, I take pride in our situation," Daniel said. "And I hope others will look at us and see that it is possible to get a scholarship, even if you are home-schooled." Yes, Jon and Daniel Farnham are the pioneers. They have forged a new trail - a path that will doubtlessly be followed by home-schooled athletes in the years to come.
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