Lampkin sets higher goals after state tourney effort

This article appeared in the Tampa Tribune on Dec. 9, 2003.

By NICHOLAS MURRAY

NEW PORT RICHEY - For someone who only started swimming competitively her freshman year, Jessica Lampkin has come a long way. And now, after her second-place in the 50-yard freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle at the Class 2A state championships, the senior will be moving on again.

``I made trips out to Florida State, Tennessee, [Louisiana State] and Alabama, and have decided to commit to the University of Alabama for college,'' Lampkin said.

It will be another move for the senior, who began her high school career at Newark High in Delaware. Lampkin was a volleyball player as well as a swimmer. In Newark, the two sports are played in different seasons.

``When I lived in Delaware, I swam a lot in the community pool that was near our house,'' Lampkin said. ``People told me I was good, and I ended up swimming for one of the two U.S. Swimming teams in Delaware.''

Lampkin was part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that took a state title at Newark High School. But after her sophomore year, her father's job change forced a move to Florida, and she enrolled at Gulf.

There she finished her first year of high school swimming by qualifying for both the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke finals, finishing fourth in the 50 free. Lampkin's father now works in Maryland, although he is able to return to Florida on the weekend.

``There are a lot of differences between Florida and Delaware as far as swimming is concerned,'' Lampkin said. ``In the northeast you swim against people from other states because of the reduced number of U.S. Swimming clubs.

``Here the competition is all within state, and there are a lot more meets, more racing than I was used to. In Delaware, all the good swimmers flock to the two high profile teams, while here the talent is more spread out among the clubs and the high schools.''

As far as her personal swimming experiences, Lampkin said she can't really compare the two because of the different situations she was in at the time.

``The coaches I had in Delaware were the first real coaching I had, so they were the ones that began to mold me.'' Lampkin said. ``The coaches I have down here like Linda [Cassidy, Gulf's girls swimming coach] have enhanced what I already had when I got here. In the past I wouldn't have had the chance to go to Nationals or Junior Nationals, but now that's what I'm mainly working towards.''

The other difference, Lampkin said, is the interaction within the team that was lacking in Delaware.

``The teams I'm with now, I have a lot more friends that I hang out with away from the pool,'' Lampkin said. ``In Delaware we just practiced together, said goodbye at the end of practice, and that was it. Here, my coaches are my friends, and because of that, I'm enjoying it more down here.''

Lampkin's ultimate goals are to achieve success on the Crimson Tide team, where she will be reunited with former teammate Ashley Messmore, who is currently a freshman at Alabama, and to make the U.S. Olympic team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. If that doesn't work out, however, there is a backup plan.

``I hold dual citizenship because my mother comes from Germany,'' Lampkin said. ``My father met her while he was stationed overseas, so if the opportunity arose that I would be able to swim for the German team, I would definitely take that opportunity.''

The mileage from Newark to New Port Richey to Tuscaloosa isn't nearly as far as the trip to Beijing.

But it's a trip this traveler dearly would like to make.