West Aurora's Timmons can't imagine life without swimming

How deeply-embedded is swimming in Emily Timmons' life? Deeper than the pools in which she's competed for four years and with a current that travels more swiftly than the West Aurora senior could ever hope to move.

"I always joke that if people smell chlorine, it's me," the West Aurora senior said. "I can never get the smell out of my skin sometimes. That's how much I'm into it."

Swimming pools all over the country are full this time of the year with girls who have been competing since they were no taller than a kickboard, young women who take perpetual chlorination with them everywhere they go.

But if her dedication to the sport is as deep as a lifelong swimmer, Timmons is actually much more of a newcomer to aquatics. She began swimming as her high school academic career began.

"I walked in the first day and I didn't own a swim cap," Timmons said. "I looked at the heat sheet and I panicked because I'd never had to do that before."

But no one ever linked length of service with a degree of passion - and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who loves the sport more.

"She is passionate about her sport," West Aurora coach Joe Neukirch said. "She's not the fastest girl in the state, but she has the qualities of every top athlete in terms of what you expect in terms of leadership and dedication."

"I started in eighth grade," Timmons said. "There was a sports fest for the middle schools. I thought 'I've always been good at swimming. I'll give it a try.' After that, I saw people doing so well, so I thought 'man, I want to do this.'"

Timmons took some swim lessons to make sure she had the basics of all four strokes and then headed to West Aurora.

That West Aurora team from four years ago had some very experienced athletes, something that could be daunting. But Timmons never backed down.

"Many of those girls had been swimming over half their lives," Timmons said. "I was like 'I want to compete with these girls. I want to look like I belong here.'"

So Timmons started training year-round, and a passion for the sport got deeper and deeper. And she got better and better. She is her team's top 200-yard individual medley and 100 breaststroke swimmer.

But there are times when she wonders what might have been had she decided to swim as a tot.

"Oh my gosh, definitely," Timmons said. "We used to live in Missouri. When I was 10, I took some swim lessons and everyone thought I should have joined a club team. I said 'no, I want to do gymnastics because it'll help my coordination and I'll be really good at it.'

"I was horrible at it. That's probably my biggest regret is not swimming at an earlier age because I'd probably be at a different level now."

Reaching the state meet is one of those near-impossible dreams for Timmons, who needs massive time drops to make the state cut.

"I'm good for me and for where I've come from," Timmons said. "I look at some of our freshmen, and I think that if they work at it, they could do it."

There is, however, another side to Timmons. She ranks in the Top 25 in West Aurora's 660-strong Class of 2009. She is a member of the National Honor Society, takes four Advanced Placement classes and is also a member of the school choir.

"She is the epitome of student-athlete," Neukirch said. "I don't know how she finds time to do everything, but she does."

And while she admits that good grades were always the standard, she has worked hard to fit everything into her life.

"There's definitely a balance you have to have," Timmons said. "There have been times when I have looked and had homework in every single class. I've only had to do it once, but I had to call (Neukirch) and say 'I'm sorry, I know it's not an excused absence, but I have to get this done.' It's all about time management and finding the balance."

Even for that one time, Timmons said she was very distressed to have to miss practice.

"You have to understand the importance," Timmons said. "It's not 'sweet, I get to miss practice.' It's 'I have so much I need to do that I don't want to miss practice, but I need to.'"

Timmons celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday with five other Blackhawks swimmers. She knows her time as a competitive swimmer is limited. She is currently choosing a college, but she will leave swimming behind.

"As sad as I am about that, I'm one of the captains on the team this year," Timmons said. "I want to help the other people on the team. I want to be that role model. That's been my focus this year, to try to help as much as I can."

There will certainly be a day when Emily Timmons doesn't carry the sweet aroma of a chlorinated swimming pool with her. But that doesn't mean the swimming pool disinfectant will every really leave her body.