Erin Tilley Puts in Work to be an Elite Swimmer

ERIN TILLEY HAS ALWAYS HAD A FULL SCHEDULE.

Let's just say her parents wanted it that way from an early age.

"I started doing summer league swim when I was six years old," she laughed. "My best friend dragged me into it, and I hated it. I wanted to quit.

"When I was nine, my mom signed me up for club swim to keep me busy. I had a ton of energy at that age and would get in trouble. My parents wanted to tire me out."

Well, the blueprint built Tilley into one of the best swimmers in the State of Texas with multiple TAPPS titles in tow as she graduates and takes her talents to the University of Incarnate Word.

"My club coaches would always ask me what I wanted to do in the future," she said. "I always answered that I wanted to swim in college."

Well, her dream came true, kind of.

"I just stayed with it and when it got tough, I never got the guts to quit," she laughed. "I think every swimmer will tell you that."

Swimming is tough and not particularly glamourous. Tilley would be up a 5 a.m. and swim for nearly two hours. Then off to school and workouts, and back in the pool for another two hours in the evening.

"There was no real method to the madness," she said. "I just got things done when I could as it related to school."

While school and swim took up much of her day, she also carved out time for her other passion.

"I love to sing," she said. "I sing at church and have been doing it for as long as I've been swimming. I ran from swim practice to rehearsals with wet hair for years. I still do it. It's not cute, but it works."

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