Foundation Academy's Emma Sundermeyer picks Olympic trials over graduation

Senior year of high school is one of the most unforgettable moments in a person’s life because of the incredible amount of opportunities that are at the fingertips of many soon-to-be-graduates. 

What college will you attend? What major will you choose? What city will you live in? What will your life look like now that the safeguards of high school are being removed and you can step into the real world? 

With these questions and opportunities come decisions — some easier than others. 

For Foundation Academy graduating senior Emma Sundermeyer, one of the biggest decisions she had to make in her final year of high school didn’t have anything to do with what school she would attend or what major she would choose. 

No, the future University of Alabama swimmer had a unique decision to make: Attend her high school graduation or travel across the northern border of the United States and attempt to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer as part of the Canadian national swim team? 

The Decision

“It was a pretty tough decision,” Sundermeyer said. “Originally, I thought that I wasn’t going to go. I was like, ‘No, I’m not going. I think I should go to graduation instead.’ I was having such a great senior year, and I didn’t want to leave my friends and miss out on this moment. I just wanted to go to the graduation, because I wanted to end my senior year, well, kind of like everyone else does.”

But as the Olympic trials in Toronto crept closer, Sundermeyer knew the chance to compete at the highest level of the sport she loves would be a special opportunity. 

“We talked about it with Emma in the fall and left the decision totally up to her,” Emma’s father, Chad Sundermeyer, said. “I really didn’t think she was going to skip graduation. … But around Christmastime, she came to my wife and me and just said that she was thinking of going to the swim meet and not attending graduation — which was kind of a shock to us. But we told her to think about it, pray about it.” That’s exactly what Foundation’s star swimmer did. 

“I just kept thinking it over and over, and I decided that this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience,” Emma Sundermeyer said. “It’s not everyone who gets to go to this. It’s a privilege for me to get the chance to go. And yes, graduation is a cool thing. But the chance to qualify for the Olympics, in my eyes, is a much bigger deal. It’s a dream, and not something that I thought I should pass up.”

So, with the support of her parents and the Foundation Academy administration — which helped facilitate the Sundermeyers remote graduation celebration — the soon-to-be alumnus of Foundation made the trek to the Great White North. 

“We met with Sarah Reynolds, the principal at Foundation, and … she and the entire administration were 100% supportive of Emma’s decision and told us how we could celebrate her graduation remotely with no big deal, and they were happy to accommodate,” Chad Sundermeyer said. “That really made her feel like, ‘Yes, this is definitely the right decision for me.’ So, we made the commitment to go to the trials, and the wheels started to turn.”

For Chad Sundermeyer, his daughter’s decision to chase this experience was what he hoped she’d choose.

“My wife and I were fully supportive of whatever decision Emma made, but deep down, I was hoping she would choose to go to the trials,” he said. “I just thought this would be such a great experience for her — not just for the 2024 games but for years to come for her in the sport of swimming. … But from her perspective, she was having such a fun senior year, and I just didn’t think she wanted to give that up for the swim meet. But in fact, she did. So, I was very, very delighted to hear that.”

Trials and Lessons

Despite being one of the best swimmers in Florida, making the Canadian national team for the 2024 games was a long shot for Sundermeyer. Regardless, the chance to compete at the sport’s highest level was more than just a fun opportunity, it was an experience that opened her eyes, motivated her and gave her confidence going into her first college swimming season.

“I’m definitely motivated,” Emma Sundermeyer said. “It was really a great experience in the sense that it showed me what my future could look like. The trials … gave me something to shoot for and look forward to in the future. … It just kind of showed me that in the future I could do this again. And in four years, I’ll be better prepared.”

But Sundermeyer didn’t just travel north of the border to find motivation, she went to the trials to see where she measured up against the best of the best. 

After competing in four events — the 400-meter freestyle, 200-meter free, 100-meter free and 200-meter individual medley — Sundermeyer’s performance clearly justified her decision to skip graduation for the meet, as she qualified for the finals in two events — the 400 free and 200 IM. 

“Making two finals was a really great experience, just swimming at night was cool because there was a pretty big crowd there,” she said. “I got to watch swimmers who will probably win gold this summer at the Olympics. I got to see them hit world-record times there. … It just inspired me to keep training hard, so that in four years I can do this again.”

Sundermeyer’s father believes the chance to compete in a high-leverage situation is going to help her when she dives into the Crimson Tide pool against SEC-level talent. 

“What was very neat to see was how much higher the pressure was than most competitions she’s experienced,” Chad Sundermeyer said. “It was just a great experience for her to build on, as she goes off to school and swims in the SEC. It’s just great for her to feel that type of pressure from a meet that she swam in. Those two finals … were a very good experience for her. … I hope she takes the confidence that she was able to gain about her swimming abilities and grows it. She’s kind of grown up in this little bubble of Foundation and West Orange County, and for her to just go up there and prove to herself that the hard work is paying off and that she’s on this level right now. I just believe the sky’s the limit for her and her abilities.”

Now, Emma Sundermeyer knows she is fully capable of earning a spot on the team for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. 

“I do believe that I can qualify for the Olympics in 2028,” she said. “I think with four more years of training and competition, I can put myself in a really good spot to succeed at trials.” 

With this confidence, motivation and an experience of a lifetime lived, how does the 18-year-old alumnus of Foundation Academy feel about her decision to skip graduation? 

“The whole experience was amazing,” Emma Sundermeyer said. “I’m so happy that I made the decision to go to trials.”