It’s unusual for an athlete to come into a program and make an immediate impact and become a leader.
Both of those things happened multiplied by two for sisters Montgomery and Madison Dampier when they relocated to Tallulah Falls School from Ocala, FL. The family found their way to TFS when Kyle Dampier took a field and facilities manager position; he also serves as assistant baseball coach.
“It felt like the right place for us,” says Montgomery, a senior who recently signed to continue her swim career at Georgia Southern University. She could tell from the start that she would do well at TFS.
“When I first saw the TFS Natatorium, I thought it was great. The atmosphere was very welcoming, and I knew I could succeed here.”
Madison, a freshman, echoes that it was the “right fit” for the Dampiers, who live in nearby Tiger. Quickly, the sisters helped make an already great program reach new heights.
“The TFS swim program has a solid foundation of pushing swimmers to be their best in and out of the water, with success in the regular season as well at the state level having been seen every season since the program’s inception,” says head coach Rachel Nichols. “We have seen the attitudes the girls bring to practice inspire their teammates to demonstrate their own best selves. The dynamic that Madison and Montgomery have brought to our program has created the perfect storm of success for all swimmers, not just the girls themselves, with this season’s competitive performances.”
The duo has established seven school records and posted GHSA state-qualifying times in multiple individual and relay events. Often, the sisters will break each other’s records and personal best times.
“Madison and I have a very healthy competitive relationship,” adds Montgomery. “Especially since the move, she has kinda been there to push me, and I push her. With times and records, we know who’s better at what already, but a lot of playful teasing and trash talk is always involved.”
“The competition between us is entertaining to watch,” adds Madison. “Every time Montgomery sets a record, I am very proud of her, but at the same time, I do want to beat it. I believe that this is very good for us because it makes us push each other harder.”
Of the records the girls already set in 2021-22, Madison holds the school mark in the 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 100 freestyle, and the 100 backstroke. Montgomery has the record in the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle. The sisters are also part of the school-record 200 medley relay. Madison won the 200 IM 1A Championship, while Montgomery won the 500 free championship ahead of the upcoming state meet. The 400 free relay team also took the top spot in the 1A Championship, with the sisters both part of that quartet. While those records and accomplishments may not sink for some time, the memories they’re crafting in the process will never fade.
“In one of our first meets, we (the relay) qualified for the state cut,” recalls Montgomery. “After we saw the board and our time, we were jumping up and down, as we also got the school record for that event.”
Madison, too, already has made quite a few memories.
“When our high school team made state, when we walked out to the songs at finals, and when I got a personal best in the 100 back,” says Madison of her favorite moments so far.
The impact has undeniably been felt in the water, but the ripple effect goes beyond the record book.
“Another memory here started this summer and carried over into the swim season, as two girls I taught how to swim are now swimming on the middle school team,” says Montgomery. “I still love working with them on starts and different things. Seeing them at practices and getting their wet hugs always brightens my day.”
Those are the types of actions that last longer than records. Their love for the sport is evident in all they do. For Montgomery, she can trace it back to an early age.
“I have been swimming competitively since I was nine, so for about nine years now,” says Montgomery. “I swam in a summer league when I was six, and after a couple of years, I wanted to swim full time. I was still doing other sports like cross country and track and field, and I guess at the start of high school, I started focusing only on swimming.”
Montgomery and Madison’s driving force and motivation are nearly identical, regardless of when their love for the sport began.
“God gave me this talent, and I’m not going to waste it,” states Madison, who has hopes and dreams of one day swimming at the University of Georgia and in the Olympics. “I’d tell my younger self to have fun and go for it because you only get one chance to do things.”
“Be yourself and work hard because being a ‘tryhard’ is one of the best things you can be,” adds Montgomery. “I want to keep working hard to be better. Of course, I swim because God gave me this talent, and all glory goes to Him because He has given me this gift.”
Making a big move can be downright difficult for many athletes and become a hindrance. That wasn’t the case for these girls, especially Montgomery, who spent her first three years at Forest High School in Ocala. Even after Kyle Dampier, a Rabun County native took the position at TFS midyear; his girls wanted first to finish out their seasons in Florida while he lived for five months away from his family.
“I can honestly say that if it were not for the Natatorium being built and allowing our girls to continue pursuing their dreams, we would not have been able to move back home,” says Kyle.
Fortunately for the girls and the TFS community, it all worked out very well. The teammates at TFS have helped make the transition smooth for the Dampier sisters.
“The immediate friendships that happen when being on a team and working together has made moving here easier,” states Montgomery, who has also gotten involved in FCA and the Syncro Club at TFS. “Seeing people you know at school, and you know they have your back.”
Aside from swimming at TFS, Madison also swims with Gainesville, GA, Lanier Aquatics. Being a student-athlete has taught her more than just skills in the sport of swimming.
“It definitely teaches me how to manage my time wisely and gives me a schedule of when I need to get my stuff done,” says Madison.
While both Montgomery and Madison have excelled in the pool, as well as in the classroom. While they are alike in many ways, they also approach their time in the pool differently.
“I feel like we both swim with a purpose, but I think that everyone has a different purpose,” says Madison.
Montgomery’s time will be shorter at TFS, and Madison’s is just beginning. However, the legacy the Dampier girls are writing will be remembered well past their swimming days.
