Now in her junior season, Luce not only has that record, but she has broken a total of four school records this season for the Thunderbirds in the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard freestyles as well as the 100-yard butterfly. However, the road to those records has included several hurdles that many would give up when faced with.

In her eighth-grade season, Luce broke her elbow and tore her ulnar collateral ligament. Then, in her freshman year, she had breathing complications from exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction. This year has battled through a herniated disk.

Different physical injuries occur for many athletes, but EILO is a bigger issue that requires treatment from specialists as far as the Cleveland Clinic, and put her in the emergency room after two meets.

“We were seeing a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic for the last year,” Addison’s mom, Julie, stated. “He was a speech pathologist who is a specialist that all he does is research and therapy for EILO.”

Submitted Photo Luce takes down the diving records at Chautauqua Lake to replace with her own.

Luce continued to battle through her breathing difficulties while still competing, but in pools where the chlorine was not ventilated as well, her breathing was worse. Sometimes Luce needed to wait out in the hall between events and took breathing treatments during diving, but still ended up in the emergency room more than once.

“I did have to be present at all of her meets for breathing treatments,” Julie added. “She did end up in the ER two times after swimming her ninth-grade year because she was unable to breathe. It was triggered by the chlorine, so it was pools that weren’t well ventilated. Both of those times it was at Chautauqua Lake pool and then the next year they did update the ventilation system. She hasn’t had any issues since.”

Seeing your child go to the emergency room due to competing in any sport is as good as any reason to want them to stop, but Addison loves swimming so much her family looked for ways to allow her to reach her goals.

“It’s emotional,” Julie added. “But she’s not the kind of kid you can hold back either. You’ve got to let her live her life and that’s her passion. We just pushed through, I mean it was very hard, I think I was the one both times who pulled her out of the pool.”

Returning to the pool was scary for Addison, too, but nothing was going to stop her from reaching her goals.

Submitted Photo Addison Luce holds the four previous records which she broke this season at Chautauqua Lake.

“It was definitely scary coming back,” Addison stated. “I didn’t get to swim the 100 butterfly the rest of my season after I got pulled out of the pool, that’s the event that really triggered it. Then, coming back the next year, it was definitely really scary to get back in there and do it again, because I really felt like I couldn’t do it anymore. It was hard to just push through and get to the place where I can swim it, it was a mental thing for me.”

Addison has overcome most of her issues breathing in the pool with the occasional instance where she notices some chest pain, but her physical roadblocks did not stop there. On top of the breathing issues, Addison’s herniated disc has caused her issues in the pool, but just like the breathing, it was unable to get in the way of her record-breaking season.

“Even more pressing has been her herniated disc in her back,” Julie said. “That has been the most long lasting. She hasn’t really participated in gym class for quite some time. She tried track in the last two years, she was a really good high jumper, but the jumping really bothered her back, the throwing really bothered her back. She did have an epidural in the summer of 2022 and she’s been going to physical therapy with Jake McBride since fourth grade off and on.”

For Addison to overcome all of those obstacles with such great success it says a lot about her as both an athlete and as a person.

“She’s very self-driven,” Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton swimming and diving coach Paula Bobik said about Addison. “She’s a good girl overall, she’s top of her class, she’s a great role model for the girls, a great captain. But, when it comes to swimming she does our practices, she goes to Hammerhead, she swims all year-round.”

While other activities hurt Addison’s back, the pool has sometimes had the opposite affect and the results have been evident all season. However, if anything with Addison’s health is bother her, the coaches trust her to know how much she can push herself.

“I’m very trusting of her and all of her health,” Bobik stated. “If something did hurt, then we didn’t push her at all really, but she didn’t need to be pushed either. She comes to our practices and always wants to be challenged, I started looking up special workouts for her because she’s a lot further than the team members in her times. She’s definitely the fastest swimmer I’ve ever had.”

Addison not only has the support of her family, all of her coaches from school to club, but every teammate at school, too.

“The girls look up to her,” Bobik added. “Last year, Addie won a patch at Class and the girls were just ecstatic and it was just very exciting for the whole team. They listen to her, they respect her, they ask her for help. … She’s just a great role model.”

Addison feels the full support of her teammates, especially from Sophia Gervasio, Lydia Kushmaul and Gabby Testa.

“The three main girls I have been swimming with since seventh grade,” Addison said. “They’ve always been so supportive no matter what, no matter how good or bad their meet is going if I accomplish something they know my times right away. They have my times memorized, they will cheer for me the whole time even if they’re in the next event and it’s really nice to know I have people like that on my own team. My whole team is really supportive and has been so great this year, it’s really nice knowing I have my team to support me and really helps give me a little more confidence.”

The next time Addison will get to compete with her teammates is this Friday at the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Championships at Olean Middle School in her two best events and two relays.

“She is just the absolute best to have on any team,” Bobik stated. “She’s well-rounded, she’s funny, she doesn’t forget to have fun even though she has her goals and is very serious about swim.”