Swimming in the lead
BU Academy junior Ben Daus-Haberle juggles classes with a term on the New England Swimming board of directors.
It is no secret that Ben Daus-Haberle loves to swim. The BU Academy junior joined the Belmont Aquatic Team at age 10 and has been with New England Swimming, a local swimming committee of USA Swimming, ever since.
Now, in addition to being an honor roll student, a swimmer in the top 2 percent of his age group nationally, and president of BU Academy’s Model UN, Daus-Haberle took on yet another role this past July, on the New England Swimming board of directors.
As junior athlete representative (and senior athlete representative next summer), he represents the approximately 6,500 swimmers registered with New England Swimming. He says his new role has not altered his busy schedule much — he still practices 20 to 25 hours a week for the Cambridge-based Bay and Ocean State Squids.
Juggling swimming commitments with school, homework, and other extracurricular activities is a challenge. “It is a struggle, but as long as you’re efficient about it, it isn’t really an issue,” Daus-Haberle says.
He wants to use his two-year term on the swimming board to extend outreach to lower-income communities in the area. “There are Ys and underused pools that are relatively cheap,” he says. “I want to see if we can get teams in there.” He says he would also like to make sure the sport remains clean, as well as keep in touch with the swimming community generally and represent its interests in board meetings.
“It’s a great sport; it really teaches you that the amount of effort you put into something directly impacts the reward you get,” says Daus-Haberle. “I’ve gained a tremendous amount from my experiences with New England Swimming, and I wanted to make sure I could help other people have the same opportunities I’ve had.”