VYPE: How did you get into swimming?
Taylor Hamilton: I was taking swim lessons over the summer and really enjoyed it. So I asked my parents if it was a sport and my dad had a friend whose daughter was on Swim Tulsa. I started swimming for Swim Tulsa when I was eight years old.
VYPE: What are your personal goals for the year? How is it going?
TH: My personal goals for this year are to work on my endurance for my races. It’s going good and I can see improvement in this area of my races because of the distance events I’ve been swimming and the distance practices.
VYPE: Along with swimming, what other activities or sports are you involved in?
TH: I am involved with the student mentor program at my high school and I am on the board for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I also volunteer in the Kids Ministry at my church.
VYPE: What is your proudest school/sports accomplishment?
TH: One of my proudest moments in sports was receiving the character award after my first swim meet my freshman year.
VYPE: What are some of your goals post-high school?
TH: My goals post-high school include attending John Brown University in the fall and majoring in Kinesiology. After that I plan on going to school to become a Physical Therapist. I would love to pursue a career in pediatric physical therapy.
VYPE: Which teammate has had the greatest impact on you? Why?
TH: The teammates that have had the greatest impact on me have been Haley Raburn and Olivia Ross. We became close friends my sophomore year and they have always been there for me. As seniors, they took me under their wing and mentored me. This made me want to treat future underclassmen the same way they treated me, with love and respect.
VYPE: How have you used sports to impact your school and/or community?
TH: I make sure to represent Owasso High School in a positive manner at practice and at our swim
meets. I encourage and challenge my teammates to be better and represent our school in a positive way. I have also enjoyed getting to sometimes teach little kids how to swim and using what I have learned over the years to help them.
VYPE: Who is your favorite teacher (from any year) and why?
TH: It’s difficult for me to choose just one but one of my favorite high school teachers is Sierra Clark. She was also a swimmer in high school and she has been a mentor to me throughout my time at Owasso High School. She is very kind and an amazing coach and friend. She’s always there to encourage me or lend a listening ear.
VYPE: Say hello, goodbye or thank you to anyone you wish.
TH: I want to thank God for giving me the ability and platform to swim and use swim to glorify him. I also want to thank my parents for all they have done for me to get to where I am today. They have walked with me through everything and I’m very grateful. I want to thank all my past and present coaches for what they have taught me about swim and most importantly about life. I also want to thank my past and present teammates for the memories and friendships made over the years.
