In one of those ''clarifying moments'' that come very rarely in a lifetime, let alone at the age of 18, Isobel Ryan had ''an epiphany''.
Standing behind the starting blocks at the last national championships to swim competitively for the first time in about a year, after battling glandular fever, the teenager realised she wanted to continue to swim, and not surrender to a life of study.
''I thought, this is what I want to do, but in an international pool, wearing black, silver and white with NZL in big letters,'' she said.
''I was pumped up, so happy to be there, feeling the power and the passion and realising I absolutely loved this.
''It was a clarifying moment, kind of an epiphany, weird and a little bit scary.''
Strong academically and in her last year at St Kevin's College, where she was head girl, she had thought leaving school would mean concentrating on studies at the University of Otago with little time for swimming.
She recalled as a young girl telling people she would like an American college swimming scholarship, and decided to pursue that dream, but was not sure whether she would succeed.
Other swimmers with American scholarships, including Olympian and national record holding swimmer Hayley Palmer, helped her with a plan.
One idea was to put her profile on a website, monitored by swim coaches, about herself, swimming and times.
''I did that one night. When I got up to go to school next morning there were 28 emails, which just blew me away.''
One of those was from Ivy League college Harvard, offering her a half scholarship.
However, because of the cost, Ryan wanted a full scholarship and she narrowed the list down to three to begin ''bartering'', contacting college coaches via Skype.
In the end, it came down to the University of Wyoming for several reasons, including its size (13,800 students), its swim team (division one), the family feeling and, most importantly, the rapport she developed with the coaches.
There was also the advantage of having a close friend and swimmer, Grace Sommerville, from Ashburton, at Denver University, about two hours away.
College swimming will take her to a whole new level, competing against the top swimmers from other leading colleges.
''I know it's a bit of a pun, but it's a whole new pool of swimmers.''
Ryan has mixed feelings about leaving home in late July-early August next year to start a four-year scholarship.
''I'm really excited, but also nervous. It's kind of scary, but exciting.`It's one of those lifetime opportunities that, if you don't take, you'll probably always regret.''
The move is supported by her parents, father Kerry, assistant principal at St Kevin's College, and mother Nicky, principal at Weston School.
Ryan has overcome the bout of glandular fever and complications which came from it, including a rapid heartbeat.
After seeing various doctors and specialists, she was told by one that pushing through the tiredness was the answer, and swimming was a recommended way to do that.
After almost a year off, she went back and was immediately competitive at the national meeting in her age group, somehow keeping her edge but not improving the way she would have without the break.
It was not unusual to see Ryan swim, then fall asleep on a bench between races. Now, she is well on the way again, and sees positives from her illness.
''It's definitely made me more tough, mentally, and more in tune with my body. I know how to deal with it [the illness] now and push harder.''
With NCEA level 1, 2 and 3, all with excellence, the academic side should also not be a problem.
Her first-year studies are general under the American system, but she will be expected to start to identify her degree from years two and three and she is looking at psychology with an emphasis on sport, or food science.
Isobel Ryan
Oamaru swimmer
Age: 18.
Events: Mainly freestyle and backstroke.
School: Head girl at St Kevin's College.
Started competitive swimming: Aged 11.
First national championships: 2008
Achievements: Three gold medals and two silvers in her age group and a silver in the open women's 50m freestyle, breaking five Otago records, at the New Zealand short-course championships (2014); high performance excellence in swimming academy programme (2012-14); Pathway to Podium development programme (2014); gold medals at New Zealand under-17 championships, 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke (2013).
