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Senior Showcase: A tribute to Mackenzie ArnoldFree Access


Mackenzie Arnold

Mackenzie Arnold

Editor’s note: Over the next few months, the Gazette will be printing Senior Showcases, which are short biographies or highlights about senior athletes who had their final year of high school cut short due to Covid-19. This is being done as a way to pay tribute to these student athletes. We hope you enjoy this feature. You can nominate a senior to be featured by emailing matt@ mariposagazette.com.

Mackenzie Arnold

Mackenzie Arnold

If you’ve read this sports section regularly over the last few years, surely you came across the name Mackenzie Arnold.

Every spring, the Mariposa County High School senior is included in stories about swimming, for her repeatedly strong finishes.

Although her swim season was canceled due to Covid-19, she is still remaining positive. Here is a little more about the soon-to-be graduate.

Name: Mackenzie Arnold

Age: 17

What do you miss about spring sports? “I miss being able to hang out with friends. At swim meets, you’re swimming for maybe a minute in most of your events, so most of your time is spent hanging out with your friends and cheering them on, from the side of the pool. I also miss the van rides to swim meets. I think that’s what I miss most.”

What is your greatest accomplishment? “I don’t know what it is. I mostly just swim for fun now. It’s not as much about competing. It’s fun and it’s been a great way for me to de-stress. Getting in a pool is a fantastic way to relieve any stress I’m feeling. Everything seems clearer and simpler when I get out of the pool.”

Hobbies: “I enjoy being outside and hiking. I like boating and kayaking, too. I am a reader. I’ve been reading so much since I’ve been stuck at home. I’ve gotten through a lot of books. I also like doing art sometimes in my free time.”

Plans after high school: “I will be attending UCLA in the fall, majoring in atmospheric and oceanic science and mathematics.”

Who are you grateful for; who got you to this point in your life or in sports? “I would definitely say my parents. My dad (Buz Arnold) specifically took over as the coach of the team two years ago when the coach we had previously stopped doing it. So it’s been him and (coach) Michelle Jones who took over the coaching mantle and allowed us to keep having a swim team. My mom, Chelsea Arnold, has been a major influence academics-wise.”

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