
Having taken lessons at a very young age, senior Dylan Elliott has been swimming for as long as he remembers. His talent and love for the sport was immediately apparent. Right before his freshman year of high school, he decided to start playing water polo in Chicago. After moving to Huntley, he wanted to continue his swimming career on the school’s swim team.
“When I was first joining, it was really fun,” Elliott said. “I was not very good at the time, but I was dropping my swim time really fast.”
In the beginning, he got injured frequently, hurting his knee, shoulders, and many of his joints. Despite the many injuries, Elliott did not give up. He was determined to continue doing what he loved. He began eating healthier, as well as running and lifting in order to strengthen his abilities.
“It was mostly the working out that really helped me fix my knees and my shoulders,” Elliott said.
His favorite part of being on the swim team is racing. He enjoys being in competitions, and he mainly participates in freestyle and the 50, 100, or 200 meters. He is best at the 200, and he challenges himself to get better with every swim.
“That feeling when you are in a race is great,” Elliott said. “And when you win, it is even better.”
He believes that he is his biggest supporter. He puts a lot of hard work into practicing in order to help himself improve and hone his skills.
“Swimming is the type of sport where the only one helping me get faster is myself,” Elliott said. “There is no one else who can create my improvement for me. It is just me and my race every time, so I need to put in the work myself or nothing will happen.”
Every day, his normal practice is about two hours long with about 5,000 yards. Elliot also lifts to supplement his strength training so that he can get faster in the water. He is disciplined in his routine and swims daily to ensure that he can continue to improve.
“I have gone with him and seen him practice, and it is clear he really tries his hardest and does his best when he is in the water,” senior Jacob Balduf said.
Elliott is also known for being a very supportive peer. Always being the first to cheer on his teammates during races, he brings an infectious positive attitude to the team.
“When the swim team cheers each other on, all of their voices mix together, but you can clearly hear his voice when he yells,” senior Emily Kellas said. “He is a team player, and he dials in and does his best on all of his swims.”
Outside of the swim team, Elliot coaches and teaches children how to swim at Life Time Fitness.
“When you first start swimming, it is slow growth, but you just have to keep swimming.” Elliot said. “If you keep taking days off from swimming, you could get worse. So, it is all about consistency.”