Windermere High swimmer's success fueled by loving the sport

When Windermere High swimmer Rylee Erisman lies down at night, she sees the quote, “She believed she could, so she did.” 

She keeps it by her bedside as a constant reminder to always believe in herself. It’s a phrase she lives by, and it has taught her to always ask for help when she needs it and to understand she can’t take on her swimming journey alone. 

Erisman knows her capabilities. She’s aware of her talents as a swimmer, and every time she steps onto the block at a meet, her main goal and motto is simply to have fun. 

“I love racing and competing, so I think that’s just helped keep me going,” she said. “I love the sport of swimming. It’s so much fun to me. I love going to practice every day and getting better and coming out of practice and feeling like I got better.” 

This love for swimming began when Erisman was 7 years old. And this same love led her to breaking Olympic swimmer Gretchen Walsh’s five-year-old National High School record of 46.98 seconds. Erisman swam the 100 meter free in 46.73 seconds Saturday, Nov. 15, at Florida’s 4A State Championship. 

Once she emerged from the water after her 46.73 second swim, she was met with pure excitement. She broke the record of an Olympic swimmer who she looks up to and has crossed paths with on a few occasions. 

Erisman doesn’t intend to stop at breaking a record. She wants to follow in Walsh’s footsteps. 

“The huge end goal is LA 2028,” she said.

STATES ENERGY

At states, when she etched herself into the national record books, the pool surged with energy. When Erisman touched the wall and recorded the record-breaking time, she could feel her team’s reaction through the water. 

“I was like, ‘Wow, it’s really loud in here,’” Erisman said. 

Most of her teammates from Windermere High also are on Erisman’s club swim team, and a lot of them are her best friends. She said they’ve been so supportive throughout the journey and their presence at states meant the world to her.

Photo by Peyton Powell

As she prepared to take off from the block, Erisman reminded herself to stay calm. She tried to limit the thoughts racing through her head and took deep breaths while remembering what’s most important: Have fun. 

Erisman said the moment she splashes into the water, she blacks out. Her mind clears and her body goes on autopilot, it naturally knows to swim as fast as possible for the seconds she’s in the water. 

“I feel like that’s with every swimmer though; we never know really what we were thinking about during our race,” she said. 

Once her head emerged from the water, she saw the time: 46.73. She did it, and she knows it would not have been possible if her parents didn’t make a move when Erisman was 9. 

BORN A SWIMMER 

Erisman grew up in Daytona Beach. The close proximity to the beach meant she was bound to find the water. As a child, she and her older brother, Ryan, learned to “survival swim” in the rolling waves of Florida’s East Coast. 

At 7 years old, Erisman began her competitive swimming journey at Daytona Beach Speed, which is where she found her love for the sport. 

Two years later, Daytona Beach Speed’s team fell apart, and her parents decided to move the family to Orlando — specifically to grow Rylee and Ryan Erismans’ swimming skills. They knew the kids loved swimming and saw early potential in the 9- and 11 year olds. The siblings enrolled in the Windermere Lakers Aquatics Swim Club. 

“They just wanted us to grow up and be successful and put us in a good environment to give us that opportunity,” Erisman said. “They knew we were going to be hard working so they just took the risk.” 

Erisman’s recent accomplishment shows the risk paid off. Even her brother, Ryan, has had remarkable success as a swimmer. He’s currently a freshman at the University of California at Berkeley. Although he’s miles away from home on the West Coast, their support for each other never wavers.

“We both really liked having each other in the same sport, because if you ever needed anything, you have a person (who) relates on a deeper level than anyone else could,” Erisman said.

Erisman said she and her brother always kept each other on track. They wanted what was best for each other, and their parents played a huge role in allowing each swimmer to reach their goals. 

Although Erisman’s junior swim season has come to an end, she will continue competing until the next time she adorns herself in the Wolverines’ colors. She already has qualified to compete in the Pan Pacific Games 2026 to swim on her first senior-level international team. The roster is composed of top swimmers from around the United States, including Katie Ledecky, Simone Mauel, Regan Smith and Michael Andrew. 

It won’t be the first time Erisman is swimming on a national level. 

Erisman’s talents have taken her far beyond Florida. Over the past two summers, she has represented Team USA at major international competitions. She competed in the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Australia and most recently World Juniors in Romania, where she took home five gold medals and three silver. 

“Every time I think about it, I miss it,” she said. “You’re literally just traveling and swimming with some of your best friends; it’s awesome. And just being able to represent Team USA is a real honor.” 

Traveling internationally comes with a bundle of emotions. Erisman said she goes through feelings of excitement and tiredness during the weeklong voyage. It’s tiring on both her physical body and mental state, because she has to “be there” mentally at all times. 

When she comes back from the big trips, Erisman sleeps for a long time. She said she goes through a wave of post-meet depression after coming off such a high for a week. 

Team USA comes from different clubs and programs across the country. The swimmers register, and they all go to one qualifying meet. Whoever qualifies travels internationally as a team to represent the country together.

Erisman compared it to the Olympics, where they have Olympic trials to qualify for the actual Olympics.

“It’s such an honor to be able to represent them,” Erisman said. “Being able to swim with the flag on your cap just means something more.”