Swimming Hard, Dreaming Big: Rockwell City’s Emma Myers aspires to swim collegiately, at the Olympics

Seasons are a major part of any high school sanctioned sport.
In the fall, there are the sports of football, volleyball and cross country. The wintertime yields indoor athletic events such as basketball and wrestling, before track & field, soccer and golf make use of warmer temperatures and budding greenness of spring.
Then, the Iowa athletics calendar ends on baseball and softball diamonds. Competitive swimming is a completely different animal. Much like its athletic brethren on land, it coincides with Bushnell’s Law: easy to learn and difficult to master.
There are multiple events related to the sport, from the butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke to the freestyle, individual medleys and relays.
Swimming events can take place inside state-of-the-art natatoriums or municipal outdoor pools. Swimming can have seasons which stretch from early October to March and span from April to the end of July.
Much like cross country or track & field, swimming is all about getting faster and shaving time.
While many regard it as a recreational sport and a great way to keep in good shape, there are the elite few who regard competitive swimming as a way of life.
Emma Myers, a 13-year old swimmer hailing from Rockwell City, is a member of that exclusive club. Emma constantly practices in Fort Dodge and treks all over the state of Iowa to compete against the best swimmers in her age group.
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