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Boardman’s Bailey has major future in water, air
Boardman’s Bailey has a major future in water and the air
By Joe Scalzo
As an All-Ohio swimmer and a future pilot, Boardman’s Brooke Bailey can fly through the air and the sea.
But if you want to see her move fast on land, just give her a B on her report card.
“Fun story,” she said, grinning. “I got a B after my first nine weeks my junior year in chemistry and I was a little panicky.
“But I’m very close with the academic adviser at my school, so I ran to his office and said, ‘If I get an A on this and an A on that, I’m OK, right?’ And he’s like, ‘Brooke, you’re fine.’”
Because Boardman calculates its students’ grade point average on semesters, Bailey was able to use the midterm and the next nine weeks to boost her grade to an A and maintain her 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
And because she enjoyed chemistry so much — significant figures aside — she ended up taking an elective course this year.
“I was in panic mode for a little bit,” she said, laughing. “But I really like it [chemistry] now. It’s a lot of fun.”
That story explains a lot about Bailey’s makeup.
Like her older brother, Ryan, a former state champion swimmer in the butterfly, Bailey thrives on structure and discipline, both in the pool and in the classroom. And, like her older brother (who is now in the Naval Academy), she was a natural choice for a military academy, signing with the Air Force Academy earlier this month.
“I loved everything about it,” she said. “I’m very structuralized, organized and disciplined and my brother kind of molded me around the pool and the classroom. I looked up to him and when that’s the route he took, I was like, ‘Wow, I can see myself doing this, too.’”
The daughter of Jerry and Chris Bailey, Brooke started swimming when she was 6 at the Boardman Swim Club — her first coach, Terry O’Halloran, is also Boardman’s high school coach — and she added Penguin Swimming (a USA Swimming club team) in the second grade, although it wasn’t until fifth or sixth grade that she started to show promise in the pool, she said.
“When I was 12, that’s when I discovered I was a breaststroker,” she said. “I made the [postseason] zone team and then my butterfly [stroke] came around my freshman year in high school. I became a butterflier because Ryan was a butterflier.”
She laughed, then said, “I have to do everything Ryan does.”
Bailey swam on the Spartans’ state-qualifying 200-yard medley relay team in 2012, then helped Boardman’s 200 and 400 freestyle relays advance to Canton in 2013. Last season, she swam on the 18th-place 200 medley relay while placing 11th in the 100 breast in her first individual event at the state meet.
She holds six school records and was a first team all-Federal League selection in each of her first three seasons.
“She absolutely loves the sport and that’s so important,” O’Halloran said. “The intensity of her workouts carries over to everything else. The kids look at her and see how fast she’s going. She refuses to stop when she’s tired.”
Added Bailey, “It’s so fun for me. All the world’s problems go away when I’m in the water for two hours or so.”
Bailey’s work ethic will be a huge asset at the Air Force Academy when she enrolls on June 25. Ryan has already warned her about the first year, joking that one of the best parts about being a sophomore is he’s now allowed to take naps.
“He’s explained to me that it’s a lot harder than anything I’ve been used to, especially in the summer when it’s all new and you’re getting yelled at and crazy stuff like that,” Bailey said. “But swimming has prepared me so much. Ryan said when people were struggling with waking up early and working out, he was like, “This is normal.’
“Ryan said if you stay strong and keep a positive attitude, you’ll be fine.”
No problem there, O’Halloran said.
“This is my 30th year of coaching and last year was one of my most enjoyable year because of kids like her,” he said. “She’s gotten everything possible out of the high school end of things and she’s looking forward to doing it at the high school level.”
Bailey plans to major in political science and wants to become a pilot after graduation, which means she’s headed for an eight-year commitment. In the meantime, she’s trying to soak up every part of her senior year.
“I’m really excited for this season,” she said. “As much as you want to look at the end of the season, you have to take it one meet at a time. Each day you have to have a good practice and each day you have to work hard. If you put in the work, at the end of the season you’ll reach your goals and swim fast.”