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06/08/2022 12:00 AMIn her four years at East Haven High School, Norah Rome has competed as a dominant swimmer, earning numerous accolades in the pool. Also a member of the golf team, Norah recently finished her final season as a Yellowjackets’ athlete and is leaving behind an unforgettable legacy before moving on to swim at UConn.
Before there was Norah Rome, there was Anna Rome. Norah’s mother Anna swam for East Haven in the ‘90s and still holds school records. Norah knew that her mom always wanted one of her kids to be a swimmer and decided to give it a try. While they swam different events, their passion for the water was the same.
“She was a different kind of swimmer. She was a backstroker, whereas I’m more of a freestyler and a distance swimmer,” says Norah. “We always had a pool growing up. I was always in and out of the water. I found a love for swimming through that.”
After she began swimming at age three, Norah started competing with Omni Swimming when she was six. In 6th grade, she began competing with Southern Connecticut Aquatics. At age 12, Norah felt a switch. She was getting faster and realized that she could succeed as a swimmer.
Norah competes in the mile with her club swimming team. When she joined the program at East Haven, she started swimming the 200 and the 500 freestyles. At first, Norah didn’t particularly enjoy swimming distance. However, as time went on, Norah realized the importance of the mental side of the sport. As she spent hours in the pool improving her craft, Norah found that distance events allowed her to “zone out” and focus on nothing more than being her best.
“It was a love-hate thing at first. I hated doing the distance events. But then I kind of fell in love with the distance events. The more I swam those events, the better I felt,” Norah says. “Swimming is a mental thing for me. The less I think, the better. Distance is low key. You have to be really good at it to succeed. The more you practice, the better you do.”
Picking up the 200 and the 500 as a freshman, Norah enjoyed the transition into high school swimming. Norah had several friends on the squad, and having those people by her side made her feel more excited about competing with the Easties.
“It was very different, but it was similar to Connecticut swimming. There was less pressure, and I had a lot of friends on the team. I was happy about being there and the friends that I had made,” says Norah. “It was really enjoyable for me. I really enjoyed going to practices and meets with my friends.”
While she was only a freshman, Norah was determined to make an impact. At that year’s SCC Championship, Norah made a major splash by taking first place in the 500 with a time of 5:05.86. Norah was surprised to win the gold, but also had a sense that her victory could be the start of something special.
“It meant that this was something that I could keep doing. I did not expect that,” Norah says. “Maybe if I just keep doing this, it would be better.”
Over the next three years, Norah racked up multiple postseason accolades. Norah once again won the 500 at the SCC Championship (5:09.58) as a sophomore and then finished first in the SCC Division II Championship (5:05.58) as a junior. She also won the 200 at the SCC Division II meet (1:55.57) in her junior season. Norah also finished second in the 500 at the Class LL State Championship (5:04.70) as a freshman and placed second for the 200 (1:54.02) at the state meet in her senior campaign.
Norah understands the pressure that comes with competing in the postseason. However, with her experience, Norah is also familiar with many of the people that she’s swimming against, and having that knowledge makes the idea of competing at the highest level a bit less intimidating.
“It’s one step up. It’s a little terrifying, but I’ve competed against them before,” says Norah. “It’s a lot different when you have experience in club swimming. It’s bigger competition, but it’s not competition that I haven’t swam against before.”
In senior season, Norah was named a captain of the Yellowjackets alongside Camryn Lendroth. Norah says that she was the easygoing one, while Lendroth played the more serious role. No matter how she served as leader, Norah felt proud to be leading a team of athletes that she had grown up with.
“I’m fun. I like to keep the group going. Camryn is a more serious captain. She would send motivational quotes to get us pumped,” Norah says. “It was humbling being a captain. I’ve been with the girls for four years. It was a cool experience to have those people look up to me. I loved being a captain of this team. I had such a great group of girls to work with.”
Norah has also been a member of East Haven golf team for the past four years. She was introduced to the sport by her grandfather Charlie, who loves the game and “is always playing on Tuesday and Thursday” to this day. Norah says that her grandfather goes to every meet and is her “No. 1 fan” in both of her sports.
With her grandad’s guidance, Norah has only grown during her time with the Yellowjackets’ golf squad. For Norah, golfing is a meditative experience, and she’s been able to apply that same the mentality to the pool.
“Golf is something I do because I like it and because it’s fun. I may not be the best golfer out there, but I’m dedicated to the sport. Even if I can’t make practice, I’m always chipping and working on my putting,” says Norah. “There’s going to be ups and down. Every stroke is different. I’ve taken that mentality into swimming and realized to take a step back.”
East Haven golf Head Coach Rick Narracci says that Norah has always displayed maturity on the links. When Norah’s out there, Narracci sees her keep her composure after every shot.
“Norah is a very even-keeled presence on the team and on the course. She never lets a bad shot affect her next one,” Narracci says. “That is a great quality to have as a golfer. If you let your emotions get to you, your round can go sideways fast. I’m sure her time in swimming, which is a pretty solitary sport, helped her mental game.”
After graduation, Norah will attend UConn to continue her swimming career and pursue a pre-med degree with a goal of becoming a dermatologist. Norah was originally committed to swim at NYU, but after talking to UConn Head Coach Chris Maiello, she knew that she had found her home with the Huskies.
“I knew with my athletic ability, I could take it somewhere else. I was in talks with Coach Chris at UConn, and he offered a spot,” says Norah. “He was so happy that I reached out. He made me feel like he wanted me. He made me feel like this is my team. It was such a great opportunity, and I’m really glad that I took it. I’m so excited to be there in the fall.”
During her time at East Haven High School, Norah became one of the best swimmers in the state of Connecticut. She also created strong bonds with her fellow swimmers and golfers. With a long list of honors, Norah feels proud to be a Yellowjacket and is thankful for the opportunity to carve her name into the school’s history books.
“It was great. I really loved it. I’m so grateful that East Haven had a place for me to swim and play golf,” Norah says. “I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given and the people I have met along the way. We’re so close-knit. We’ve all been here and been through it together.”