Bowling Green High School swim coach Dee Wilkins will soon turn a new page in the storied history of the program, but for the first time in his tenure as BGHS coach he will be Paige-less. The Purples won their 11th consecutive regional championship Valentine’s Day weekend, and for the last nine of them BGHS has had two constants: Wilkins as coach and Paige Fields as a key member of the girls’ team. 
“I’ve been coaching Paige since she was nine,” Wilkins said on February 1, moments before the swim team’s Senior Night. “I have been her only coach. We’ve been through all the ups and downs, and we’ve worked through them all. It has been a fun ride.”
That ride has included more ups than downs. Fields has established herself as one of the best swimmers in BGHS history, winning seven consecutive regional championships in the 100 breaststroke and anchoring many winning relay teams. She swam the last leg on the winning 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams at the regional meet, and her name can be found four times on the swimming and diving records sign at the BGHS pool.
As a result, this Senior Night had an added event: the retirement of Fields’ swim cap, honoring her for her many accomplishments in the pool. That final home meet was emotion-filled for Paige and her family.
“It’s bittersweet,” Paige said. “It doesn’t feel real because I’ve been doing it so long. I swam my first regional meet in fourth grade. It has definitely had its ups and downs, but overall swimming has impacted my life in a great way.”
That impact extends to Paige’s parents, who have spent nearly as much time at the pool as Paige has.
“My wife and I were so proud to see Paige be recognized with the honor of having her swim cap retired,” says Gary Fields, Paige’s father. “We would have never dreamed that Paige would have had the success she has had over the past nine years as a Purples swimmer. Coach Wilkins has been such an important part of Paige’s development, not only as a swimmer but as a young lady, that it was tough to watch her hug him, knowing that all of those hours at practice and meets is soon coming to an end.” 
Paige, who also played soccer at BGHS, says those hours at the pool were some of the best of her high school days.
“Swimming helped me learn dedication,” she says. “It wasn’t easy, especially in the fall when soccer was in full swing. Swimming is year-round. There were a lot of late nights, and then I would have mornings with Dee at the pool at 5:30. But it teaches you time management. You have to set priorities.”
Despite the hours devoted to swimming and soccer, Paige will graduate with honors in the spring, and she plans to attend the University of Kentucky on an academic scholarship. All the accolades that swimming has brought, including a national ranking in the 100 breaststroke as a 12-year-old and an eighth-place finish in that event at last year’s state meet, aren’t as important as the lessons the sport has taught her, says her father.
“The sport of swimming has given Paige so much over the years,” says Gary Fields, superintendent of the Bowling Green Independent School District. “It taught her those critical life skills: what it means to work hard, work toward a goal, compete at a high level, have the personal drive to become better, being a role model to younger swimmers, and being a leader.”
Paige has definitely been a leader, says her coach. 
“She has been in a lot of tough spots for us,” Wilkins says. “She has anchored the 400 freestyle relay since she was 12 years old. When she hits the water, we’re pretty confident that she’s going to get the job done. She will be hard to replace. She knows what it takes to perform under pressure, with the crowd screaming. So next year will be tough. Paige and I have been doing this for a long time. It will be a big change next year.”
