Bella Tinstman '22 Recruiting Profile

      Getting up at the crack of dawn to practice or compete, cuts and bruises from lane lines and endless climbs out of the pool, always having wet hair and smelling like chlorine, traveling long distances to swim meets every weekend at the expense of typical high school activities, dealing with people who do not understand how hard the sport is or how it works, double practices, weight lifting, regimented meal plans, always pushing yourself to the limit and then asking yourself for more. . . Why would anyone want to swim competitively when all of that is taken into consideration? To me, it feels normal.  There is nothing else I want to do and nowhere else I want to be. I cannot imagine my life without it nor can I imagine the person I would have been without it. 

     I love being my own challenge and facing myself everyday.  I want to be the best – in everything.  That is what swim builds in your heart – ambition for success rooted in your abilities.  You get there with the adrenaline generated by reaching for every rung. Swim will not let you be satisfied with your immediate progress; grateful, yes, but not satisfied.  I always want to take the next step to do even better. Sure, sometimes it gets the better of me, but it makes me tough in my resolve and response. Swimming places me in a position where I am always trying to perform to the best of my abilities, and then somehow, I still find a little more, even if it’s by a hundredth of a second. It is because of this challenge that my drive and passion for swimming has only grown over almost a decade of being in the sport. I find that the blind ambition, sometimes reckless abandon and willingness to face defeat in the hope of reaching that next level make me unstoppable in life’s pursuits overall.

     These traits sharpened by swimming transfer into everyday life.  Of course the traits of ambition and resolve readily merge into academic success.  Of course, it also naturally creates an ability to prioritize and make good use of time.  With your teammates, you learn how to support others.  You also experience being supported by those who truly understand who you are.  Swimming teaches you grace in moments of success and failure.  It reminds you that you are always a product of your own efforts and pursuits.  Swimming shows you how to weather trials and tribulations with resolve and dedication.  It shows you how to get back up when you are knocked down.  When swimming, you are elevating your self-accomplishments while balancing your role on a team and the team’s needs.  Rejection and disappointment has less effect on you when you develop in the world of swimming.  The swimming community is welcoming and supportive of all different types of people who learn from each other.  I am proud to be part of that community.

      When I was thirteen and excelling in my swimming pursuits, I had to undergo a major surgery for scoliosis. It was a difficult.  Somehow-yet unsurprisingly- I still had swimming on my mind. Within  six months, I was back practicing in the water. I will admit that I was nervous, but my excitement and passion was even greater than before. I have seen a lot of people come and go from my team over the years.  It is no secret that swimming is an extremely difficult sport, especially when someone suffers an injury or an interruption in training for whatever reason. I knew that I had to stay determined because swimming was, and always will be, an essential part of my life. The year of my surgery, I made it to my District Championship, like I had done all of my previous seasons.  The following season I once again returned to the State Championship meet. I continue to swim with the hardware in my back, and the determination in my mind and my heart. I was not going to be defeated in the pool or in recovery.  Challenges are just that, challenges.  I will always pursue them with toughness and passion.