Moving from the Bay area of California to the middle of the country is a difficult adjustment, but it is something that senior Emily Walters had to do. However, swimming made the transition easier.
“Moving here in the middle of high school, everyone already has their friends groups from middle school, you guys grew up together. But definitely joining the swim team let me make a little group,” Walters said.
Walters picked up swimming from a very young age, it is something that has always made her feel comfortable.
“I started swimming when I was like 5. My mom put me in swim lessons at a young age, so I’ve been in the water basically my whole life,” she said.
Swim lessons were just the start of her journey. Walters continued swimming throughout her time in California. Walters swam for a competition team and then for her high school team.
“I was on the same competition team from when I was really little up until I moved. It was a high competition team, we did meets all over the state… For my high school team, freshman year was Covid year and we all couldn’t practice at the same time and it was weird.”
Starting from such a young age really benefited Walters later in her swim career. She has become a versatile swimmer.
“Some swimmers focus on one stroke and become really, really good at that one stroke and then are lacking in other areas. I never had one stroke that was my favorite, so I practiced all of them. So, I might not be the best at one stroke but when it comes to a race, like the IM where you have to do all the strokes in one race, I can succeed because I’m at least sufficient in all of them,”
Walters transferred to Millard South at the end of her sophomore year. After transferring, it was a year before she got back into the pool.
“My sophomore year, it was too late to swim. I procrastinated getting back into the pool… So I wasn’t in shape enough to swim last year. But, I joined a club team to get back in shape my senior year,” she said.
Even though swimming made her transition easier, Walters has noticed some differences swimming in the two different states.
“All the pools in California are outdoors, so rain or shine you’re still in the pool, even if it’s like pouring on you. All the pools here are indoors, so I like swimming here more,” Walters said.
While the environment is different for swimming, so are the people and the competition.
“In California, the main sport is swimming, like everyone swims… It’s just a different mindset and community. It’s more competitive in a general sense but here, since it’s such a small community, it might be more competitive because you are tighter knit with the people in your community,” she said.
Walters wants to end her senior season right. She is looking forward to not only winning but also creating a good mental state.
“I just want to have fun, which sounds cliche… Getting back in shape, getting in the rhythm, getting in the pool every morning and after school. Honestly, my goal coming out of the season is to have a fresh mindset and feel good about myself,” she said.
Walters is wanting to continue swimming after high school, whether that be at college or as a hobby.“I don’t think I’ll do competition teams but there are intramural leagues. Definitely to stay in the habit… Being a swimmer you have to stay in the rhythm. Waking up in the morning, eating breakfast, leaving the house by 4:45 a.m.,” she said.
Walters wants to continue her relationship with the pool even after leaving school.
“I just want to make sure I’m still in the pool, even if I’m not doing my workouts. Just keeping it fresh in my mind, like skills and techniques.”
