BY RICH PALZEWIC
SPORTS EDITOR
Emily Zimmer is a senior at Bay Port High School on the girls’ swimming team, where she was a 2017 WIAA state qualifier in the 200 freestyle relay.
Zimmer is also actively involved in the National Honor Society, Student Council, YSL and the musicals.
She enjoys photography, scrapbooking and volunteering with special needs students in the district and around the community.
A possible college choice is the University of Iowa, where she would like to study nursing.
Name: Emily Zimmer
Nickname: Em
School: Bay Port
Sport: Swimming
Events: 50 and 100 freestyle
Parents: Becky and Steve
Twitter: @zimmemil
Tell me about your family.
“My mom is the principal at Meadowbrook Elementary and my dad works for PMI – he’s the concession manager. I also have a younger brother named Charlie who goes to Bay View.”
Do you come from a sports/swimming family?
“Charlie does hockey and baseball and my mom swam and played basketball and soccer at Oshkosh West High School. She also played Division 1 soccer at UWGB – she was a goalie. My dad is an Ashwaubenon graduate and played football.”
How about a high school sport you wish you would have done?
“I like going for runs, so probably track. I have no hand/eye coordination, so tennis, basketball and volleyball are out of the picture.”
Your senior season is winding down.
“My season got started a little late – I had surgery to remove a cyst on my tailbone – so I’ve been working hard to get my times down to help my team. It’s about making the most of the time I have left and bonding with the underclassmen to give them the experiences I had when I was younger.”
Do you have a most memorable swimming moment?
“Definitely going to state last year. We qualified as one of the special qualifiers based on our time since we didn’t win our sectional race. We qualified 24th out of 24 teams, but took 22nd at state.”
An embarrassing one?
“At the beginning of this season, I was helping to put in the lane lines and I put them all in backward. Everyone knew about it and I had to fix them all.”
What is the hardest swimming stroke in your mind?
“For me, it’s the butterfly. I can do it, but it takes a lot of coordination and core and upper-body strength.”
Is there one you wish you could do better?
“Besides the butterfly, the breaststroke. I can’t do that one because I have a knee injury, so just the movement is hard for me.”
If you could add a new swimming event, what would it be?
“I’d like to see the 200 backstroke added. They have it at the club level but not in high school.”
What is something about you most people wouldn’t know?
“Despite not ever rowing, there’s a chance I might row in college. I’ve been in contact with the coach. It’s very hard because I want to do nursing, but rowing also interests me.”
What’s on your music playlist?
“I’m a big country music fan – Sugarland and Eric Church are two of my favorites.”
What three words best describe you?
“Caring, leader, positive.”
Talk about a favorite family vacation.
“Last spring break we went to three different Hawaiian islands. We went to the top of a volcano, stayed on the beach and flew between the islands on an airplane. I learned how to surf, visited Pearl Harbor and found a green-sand beach.
How will Emily Zimmer be remembered at Bay Port?
“Just for my academics and how involved I am with everything. Also, just being a positive and upbeat person.”
Dogs or cats?
“Dogs.”
Lie on the beach or ski down the slopes?
“Ski down the slopes.”
Black or white?
“White.”
Booth or table?
“Booth.”
Early bird or night owl?
“Early bird.”
Favorites
Food: Bread and Butter Pickles
Cereal: Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms
Phone app: Snapchat
Color: Blue
Holiday: Christmas
Notes: Suggestions for the senior spotlight can be submitted to Rich by email, [email protected], or via Twitter @richpalzewic. All spotlights can be found online at gopresstimes.com. Check out last week’s spotlight on Bay Port’s Sidni Walgurski.