Four days per week, at precisely 5:18 a.m., Molly Hill鈥檚 alarm clock lets her know she has exactly eleven minutes to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, eat it and be out of her driveway on the way to a 5:45 a.m. warm-up, ahead of her 6 a.m. swim practice.
These early mornings come with a smile for Hill.
鈥淚 love swimming so much that I look forward to the early mornings. I hate missing any practice, and this routine is one I鈥檝e come to really enjoy,鈥� said the 17-year-old 麻豆精选 Aquajet.
Her love of swimming, positive attitude, commitment and time management have earned Hill a full scholarship to swim for the New Mexico State University Aggies next fall.
Her parents, Kelly and Mike Hill, remember a five-year-old who loved the water so much they enrolled her with the Aquajets. She quickly progressed, breaking age category records by the time she was 10-years-old, and completing the Across The Lake Swim at the same age.
Hill remembers it didn鈥檛 initially start easily.
鈥淎fter my first week at the club, they moved me down a category because I wasn鈥檛 ready. I didn鈥檛 care, I just loved it so much and was excited that I had friends around me.鈥�
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While her impressive physical stature may lead some to believe she was a natural for the sport, Aquajet head coach Emil Dimitrov believes Hill鈥檚 success is rooted in her personality.
鈥淢olly is a workaholic; determined, competitive and intelligent,鈥� said Dimitrov. 鈥淪he is very coachable and still has so much potential. In a sport that requires intense dedication, she is the perfect teammate. She is caring, understanding, supportive and has helped create a great environment around our pool.鈥�
With limited time off, the KSS student studies hard, and has not sacrificed her academic goals in favour for her athletic ones.
鈥淢y plan is to earn a biology degree at NMSU over four years, then take a two-year degree in B.C. in dental hygiene,鈥� said Hill.
鈥淚 had braces for a long time. I鈥檓 strange in that I鈥檓 one of the few people that absolutely loves going to the dentist.
She said one of the reasons she chose to accept the NMSU scholarship was the quality of their biology program, and that the swim team makes academics a priority.鈥�
Hill isn鈥檛 the only 麻豆精选 Aquajet to take her skills to the next level. Hill鈥檚 friend and teammate Axana Merckx will join the University of Arizona next year, while Georgia Pengilly accepted a scholarship to the University of Manitoba.
鈥淥ur Aquajet philosophy is to prepare these athletes for NCAA and CIS opportunities, and I expect several of our other swimmers will be approached with scholarship offers in the near future,鈥� said Dimitrov.
Hill鈥檚 current season鈥攂efore her first university year鈥攊s far from over. She remains committed to her personal goals of competing at the junior nationals in Calgary in July, the Canadian swim trials in Toronto in April, and perhaps one day represent Canada at the Olympics. Hill鈥檚 focus will be on the butterfly, backstroke and freestyle.
While moving to Las Cruces, New Mexico will be a bit of an anxious adventure for a 17-year-old, Hill is excited to move to a new city, make new friends, learn from new coaches and train year-round in a 50-meter outdoor pool, all the while her parents, grandparents, and community will be supporting her just a little bit to the north.
with files from Steve Cawley
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