Many people enjoy relaxing in a pool on a hot summer day. Whether it is with a group of people or by yourself, spending time in a pool can be exactly what is needed. Clara Timmons enjoys spending time in the pool whenever she can, but for an entirely different reason. She is a member of the Shawnee High
School swim team and she says that training is one of the keys to being her best. “With swimming every second of training counts,” she said. “You have to out-train everyone else. My coaches put so much into our practices and really make us work for it, that’s the only reason I have gotten anywhere in this sport.”
Clara, a junior, has a number of people she looks up to as role models. But as a swimmer, she has one person that is the reason she is even in competitive swimming. “Katie Ledecky is the person who inspired me to try swimming,” she said. “I watched her swim in the 2016 Olympics and I decided to go out for
the swim team. She is just powerful and cool.” Throughout her career, Clara has put in a lot of hard work and time in order to be her best. And she has seen that work pay off by ending the season on top. “I would say that the highlight of my high school swimming career has been winning the 2022 Class 5A OSSAA girls swimming state championship,” she stated. “It was a great experience and feeling to know that my hard work helped me to win.” While she works hard to help herself become better and continually improve, Clara also knows that she is representing more than just herself. “It means the world for me to be able to represent my school and community every time I swim,” she stated. “Knowing that I represent Shawnee gives me so much drive to swim even faster. I have lived in Shawnee and representing the community that has helped raise me has been an honor.” Away from swimming, Timmons is also a member of the student council and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
