If there is question about Haley Borja’s talent, just check the North Whidbey Aquatic Club’s record board.

In just six months, Borja set 14 new marks in the girls 8-and-under division.

A better question to ponder is, How many more records will fall during Borja’s career?

She begins her assault on the next set of standards when she moves up a classification on July 4, her ninth birthday.

In addition to the 14 NWAC records, she currently holds the top Pacific Northwest Swimming times in six long course events (50-meter pools). Pacific Northwest Swimming is the USA Swimming chapter representing the Puget Sound region which includes 394 females in Borja’s age group. Those six times are also among the top 71 in the country for 8-and-under female swimmers. Her highest national ranking is 29th in the 100-meter freestyle (1:20.74).

Borja, who will be in the fourth grade at Broad View Elementary next fall, began swimming at 3 when she lived in Italy. Her family (parents Karl and Catherine and sister Jasmine) moved to Oak Harbor in 2011, and Borja joined NWAC when she was 6.

Her talent was evident early, according to her father.

“All of her instructors told me I should consider having Haley join a swim team,” he said.

Haley, however, wasn’t interested in club swimming until Jasmine, now 11, got involved.

“I wanted to hang out with her and make new friends,” Haley Borja said.

“Coach (Dick) Taylor noticed Haley’s talent right away,” Karl Borja said. “After one of her first events, he said to me, ‘Did you see that time?’”

From that point, all of the region noticed as the wins mounted and the records began to fall.

Records are nice, Karl Borja said, but that is not why his daughters are involved in swimming.

“I want to make sure they love swimming and don’t get burned out,” he said. “I’m not in the philosophy of telling them to reach this or break that. I just tell them if they are going to put in the laps, then make them count for something. Do it for themselves rather than the recognition of Mom and Dad.”

To Haley, the records are secondary: “I swim because I like to get a workout and make new friends.”

She has other interests — art, listening to music, outdoor games, dance and yoga — but school and swimming responsibilities don’t leave much free time.

“That’s not that big of a deal,” she said, “because I like swimming more than all of the other things.”

NWAC head coach Taylor said that Borja is the most talented 8-and-under swimmer he has coached in 21 years.

“Never before have I coached such a physically strong and naturally coordinated swimmer, who also has a keen analytical intellect, capable of breaking down all of her own physical movements in the water into its component parts — complete with the innate sense to re-sequence all of her movements whenever necessary — seemingly at will,” he said.

“She comes to the swimming world in a very compact package — to put it generously, she is not very tall — but what a talent. We all look forward to the future to see what more she can accomplish with her amazing abilities.”

Does breaking records motivate her?

“I guess,” she said with uncertainty. Then she added with a smile, “I like beating the boys.”

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Haley Borja’s NWAC Records

(female, 8-and-under)

Long Course (50-meter pools)

50 freestyle, :36.53

100 freestyle, 1:20.74

50 backstroke, :43.85

400 individual medley, 7:29.82

Short Course, Yards

50 freestyle, :31.98

100 freestyle, 1:11.05

200 freestyle, 2:42.7

500 freestyle, 6:53.03

50 backstroke, :38.58

50 butterfly, :37.07

400 individual medley, 6:34.31

Short Course, Meters

50 free, :35.01

50 backstroke, :43.05

400 individual medley, 7:28.6