Hayden Garret is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover McClintock High School for AZPreps365.com.

At just a few months old, Candace Farling, was put into swim lessons and from there on, it became a huge passion of hers. This led to about 10 years of club swimming and four years of high school swim.

Farling is a senior captain on McClintock High School’s swim and dive team, but she also participates in various clubs while focusing on her schoolwork and future.  “I started at SDA (Sun Devil aquatic club), and then I was with Mesa Aquatic club and now I am swimming for Scottsdale Aquatic Club,” Farling said.

She excels in the butterfly and sprint freestyle events. Her father, Brian Farling, said the decision to put Candace in swim lessons at such a young age was an easy one.

“With all of the summer tragedies associated with young kids and swimming pools we knew even before she was born that we wanted her to learn defensive swimming tactics – floating and climbing out of a pool,” he said. “Those lessons became stroke lessons and stroke lessons became club swimming, and then high school swim.”

The Farlings are very family-oriented and enjoy spending time together. Brian Farling has been a USA and AIA swim official for seven years, which had allowed for a close father-daughter bond. Brian has enjoyed watching his daughter do what she loves over the years.

“I became involved so I could take a more active and connected role with Candace’s interests,” he said. “Swimming has been both rigorous and rewarding for her, and I have most enjoyed those moments when she makes a personal breakthrough, such as having a great practice or going a best time in a big race.”

Outside of swimming, the Farlings enjoy traveling and seeing different parts of the world. In the summer of 2019, they were able to go visit Paris and London. This past summer their trip to Venice, Italy was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, they are determined to make that trip up in 2021.

Like traveling, Farling has another hobby involving the arts. “I enjoy painting, photography, and drawing. I also took two years of photography in school,” Farling said. In 2018, she entered photos in the Tempe Center Festival of the Arts: Young Artist Exhibit and Competition and received an honorable mention. She enjoys taking pictures of nature and her friends the most.

Farling is also a part of the National Honors Society (NHS) at school, which allows her to volunteer on many occasions. NHS requires the students to be excellent leaders, maintain good grades, and participate in a number of service hours. None of this is new to Farling, as she grew up participating in Girl Scouts and many other clubs.

In 2019, Farling was invited to take part in a summer program called GLASS: Girls Leadership Academy for Service and Sport. She traveled to Costa Rica for 10 days and participated in a variety of service and personal growth activities. Farling also played many different sports growing up, such as gymnastics, soccer, softball, and dance. Being on so many different teams has allowed her to develop great leadership skills.

Farling’s current club coach, Tyler Messerschmidt, says he can always count on Farling to remind him to better explain different parts of a workout. He says she is the “team caretaker” when it comes to her teammates.

“Whether it's discussing interpersonal social issues that arise between teammates or simply being consistent in her work ethics, action, and attitude, Candace's value as a leader, friend and teammate are second to none,” Messerschmidt said.

As her high school career is coming to an end, Farling is excited about the future. She has looked at a couple of different colleges and would like to further her swimming career. As of right now, she is considering going into the STEM field. Brian Farling is very proud of his daughter. “Candace has a sincere love of learning and takes pride in working hard," he said. "I am excited for her as she experiments with the possibilities of studying neuroscience and how her passion for art can be linked together.”

Messerschmidt said Farling has a bright future ahead of her. “This year is extremely exciting for Candace, all of her hard work is finally paying off,” he said. “She excels in the classroom and in the pool, thus giving her incredible opportunities to further her education at outstanding universities of her choice.

"I am so proud of her and the person she is becoming.”