David Weeks can remember when April Dickerson and Kent Lawrence were adamant about not swimming in college.

As head coach of the Carrollton Bluefins, Weeks advised the two Carrollton residents to make sure they put themselves in the position to make that decision when the time came.

“For three years, I listened to April say she didn’t want to swim in college,” Weeks said. “I didn’t battle her, didn’t fuss with her, it didn’t make a hill of beans. But I wanted her to have the opportunity to do that.

“It’s just like most coaches preach ‘Give yourself a chance to win.’ Even if you don’t win, you put yourself in the position to do so.”

Dickerson and Lawrence, who are both 18, changed their minds over time and next month will go to college, where they will be on the swim team.

Dickerson will attend Georgia Tech, a school she has been a fan of her whole life. Georgia Tech’s swimming coach, Stuart Wilson, happened to see her competing at the Southeast sectionals meet in March.

“(He) talked to me after sectionals and offered me an official visit up there and I just loved the team and the atmosphere,” said Dickerson, who plans on majoring in management.

“And the pool is incredible, so I think I’m going to have a lot of fun.”

Lawrence had an offer to swim at Gardner-Webb, a four-year university in North Carolina, but chose to attend Darton, a junior college in Albany.

“I chose there because I wasn’t real sure what I wanted to do college-wise and it was just a good start,” Lawrence said. “And I could also try college a little bit to see if I liked it.”

Both were All-Americans during their junior and senior years, which means they had a 3.5 grade-point average or higher and made the qualifying cut at the sectionals meet.

Dickerson, who joined the Bluefins when she was 9, began to zone in on swimming in college over the last year, according to Weeks. “She came in and started setting goals down and saying ‘Let’s do this, let’s do this,’” Weeks said. “Her practice attendance picked up - she started giving up things to come to practice.”

Weeks said that Lawrence, who has been with the Bluefins for 13 years, was frustrated when he was younger because he felt his physical frame was a detriment to him. Over time, he decided not to let that hold him back, and he excelled at the 200-yard butterfly, which is one of the more difficult races to swim.

“A lot of people don’t like it and a lot of people aren’t going to swim it,” Weeks said. “It’s kind of been tough on him, but he’s made the best of it.”

Lawrence will compete in the 50-yard butterfly this morning at the District 4 meet in Jonesboro. Dickerson will race in the 50-yard breaststroke, which is her specialty. They’ll both swim the 100-yard individual medley in addition to two team relays. The top three finishers in each event will advance to the state meet July 20-21 in

Augusta.

Dickerson and Lawrence both agree being apart of the Bluefins has been a good experience, even though it is time-consuming. The Bluefins practice and compete throughout the entire year. During the school year, the team has practices before school at 5:30 in the morning and after at 4 in the afternoon.

“It takes a special person to be able to swim and to be able to swim for the length of time they’ve been able to do that,” Weeks said. “It takes special kids because it’s not easy.”

They say the friendships they’ve made, traveling to swim meets and the team-building rafting trips on the Ocoee River in Tennessee each summer made it worthwhile.

“It’s been so much a part of my life for the last nine years,” Dickerson said. “I wouldn’t take it back.”

Weeks is glad that they’ll continue to swim in college, and even more pleased that they’re doing it because it’s what they want to do.

“I love for them to be able to go out there and swim at that level. We’ve had several do it in the past, it keeps that tradition going and it looks good for our program,” Weeks said. “But I feel more proud of them for being able to accomplish a feat, then make that decision and say, ‘Yeah, I want to do this.’”