Interview with SHS Swimmer Ally Wyers

Welcome to the Winter Edition of Off the Reels! Stay tuned throughout the next few weeks to get to know some of Springboro High School’s winter athletes. Off the Reels is kicking off the season with a four-year varsity swimmer!

Meet SHS Swimmer Ally Wyers…

Swim story:

The summer after second grade, Ally was looking for something new to do, and her friend was a swimmer, so Ally jumped in the pool and decided to give it a try. In fourth grade, Ally made it official by joining her first club team, and she’s been swimming ever since. 

Ally’s events:

Ally competes in the 100 yard butterfly, 100 yard breaststroke, 200 yard breaststroke, and 200 yard individual medley. The 100 yard breaststroke is Ally’s favorite event to compete in, and it’s her best event as well, with a PR of 1:12.01.

Ally’s high school accomplishments:

This is Ally’s fourth season on varsity, and not only does she lead the team as a senior and top competitor, she is also the team’s representative on the Panther Athletic Council. Ally is most proud of her accomplishments from her junior season. Ally’s medley relay last year earned her a spot on the All-Conference Second Team and All-Ohio Team. Ally was also a part of the Panthers team that placed eighth at State! I interviewed her right as her senior season was kicking off, and I know she will achieve even better accomplishments to share in a few months! 

Ally’s superstitions:

Before a morning meet, Ally makes sure to eat a bagel and an apple. She has the same breakfast every time “without fail.” Ally also adjusts her goggles several times and tightens them over and over to ease her worries that they might fall off. The repetitive adjusting of goggles is definitely one of my favorite superstitions I have heard from an Off the Reels athlete!

The most difficult thing about swim:

Time management is a challenge for most high school athletes, but swim even more so than others. Ally practices eight times a week, including early morning practices before school. In order to excel in the pool and in the classroom, Ally prioritizes sleep and giving her body rest. I knew about the early practices, but it was interesting to learn about how much time truly goes into swim! Similar to any sport, focusing on sleep and habits when not competing is essential to success. 

Ally’s favorite memory as a Panther:

Ally’s favorite memory swimming as a Panther thus far is competing at Districts last season. The atmosphere and time with her team made it a memorable experience. Ally remembers Districts fondly because the Panthers all did well, and they carried out the team tradition to dye part of their hair blue!

Ally’s motivation:

One of my favorite questions to ask athletes is how they are motivated. Ally is very driven in swim and school, so I thought she would be the perfect person to ask. In a largely individual sport like swim, it’s about beating your opponents, but it’s also about beating yourself. There’s one swimmer in Ally’s conference that she always compares her times to. Ally doesn’t personally know this athlete, but she makes it her goal to beat this specific athlete at every meet. Ally knows that if she beats this person, “everything else will fall in line.” But Ally is also trying to beat herself. She looks at her times from meets in previous seasons and works to consistently improve her times.

The difficult side of an individual sport within a team sport:

As a tennis player, I find mental strength and grit to be the most important parts of balancing an individual sport within a team sport, but it can be challenging when blame in a loss can be traced back to you. Ally said this was the same for swim: “there’s nowhere to hide.” If you have an off day, it is easy to fault yourself when your team doesn’t pull in the score they wanted. Even though this is difficult, Ally is very mentally tough and has a strong team to support her.

Ally’s plans after high school:

Next fall, Ally will be attending college to study cognitive neuroscience!

Ally’s advice for swimmers/athletes:

Ally shared one of my favorite pieces of advice I’ve heard from an athlete! In a sport, it’s important, “to not take it too seriously…enjoy it and have fun.” This is a common concept many athletes agree on, but Ally added why it’s so important to make sure you’re still having fun while you’re working so hard: “if I was serious all the time, waking up at 4:30 in the morning, I would’ve quit a long time ago if I wasn’t having fun.” You know it’s all worth it when you make the best memories and find so much fun and passion in what you work so hard for!

Best of luck to Ally and the Panthers the rest of the season! 

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