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Cousins Emily, Dylan Thirion bring out best in each other
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Warren Harding senior Dylan Thirion practices freestyle during Tuesday’s practice at the Raiders’ natatorium. Thirion is a six-time state qualifier for Harding in the 50-yard freestyle, the 100 freestyle, the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay. Dylan and his cousin, Emily, will begin their quest to return to Canton at this weekend’s Division I sectional meet.
By Joe Scalzo
Sometimes you choose swimming and sometimes swimming chooses you.
For Warren Harding senior Dylan Thirion, it’s been a little bit of both.
A former nationally ranked age group swimmer, Dylan fell in love with swimming at age 5 and fell out a few years later. He tried baseball. He tried football. He tried basketball. He tried tennis. He even quit swimming in eighth grade, only to come back as a freshman ready to embrace the blessing — and the curse — that comes with his talent.
“I think it’s a love-hate for everyone,” he said. “It’s a constant grind with this sport. If you’re going to do it, you have to act like you love it at least because you’re constantly doing it.”
As his coach, Steve Lukco said, “It takes a special kind of crazy to stare at the black line [at the bottom of the pool] all day long.”
Dylan’s cousin, Harding senior Emily Thirion, has no such problems. She started when she was 6, dominated her age group at every level and, unlike Dylan, can’t wait to swim in college.
“I love it,” she said, “and I’ve never fallen out of love with it.”
Funny thing, though. Both paths led to the same place: Canton.
Dylan is a six-time state qualifier: twice in the 100-yard freestyle, once in the 50 free, twice in the 200 free relay and one in the 200 medley relay.
Emily is a four-time state qualifier: twice in the 100 breaststroke, once in the 50 free and once in the 100 butterfly.
Emily has the edge as a placer — she’s finished as high as 10th and never lower than 20th at the state meet, while Dylan has never placed higher than 21st as an individual — but, like Dylan, she’s still chasing her first individual medal. At the state meet, each event has 24 qualifiers, with the top eight from the preliminary round moving on to the finals — and the medal stand. Emily was about a half-second away from advancing to the 100 breast final last winter.
“I want to get to that big final,” she said. “I want that medal.”
Emily has one other edge on her cousin. She holds school records in the 50 free (24.07), 100 breast (1:05.66) and 100 fly (57.66). Dylan, meanwhile, is still chasing Kevin Taylor in his two best events: the 50 free (Taylor swam a 46.3 in 1994, while Dylan’s best time is a 46.6) and the 100 free (Taylor swam a 21.1 in 1995, while Dylan’s best time is a 21.85).
Those milestones are part of the friendly competition that brings out the best in each other. That family connection actually started three years ago, when they were freshmen and Dylan’s older sister, Alison, was a senior.
“It’s nice to have actual family outside of your swim family and it’s especially nice because she’s so good,” Dylan said of Emily. “Even though she’s a girl, she gives me that extra edge to do my best all the time. I’m constantly comparing myself to her.”
Added Emily, “He’s always pushing me to be better. He has that edge on you [time-wise] strictly from being a boy, but he drives me to excel to that next level.”
Lukco has been coaching both swimmers throughout high school — the Thirions went to Howland in middle school before transferring — and while both have plenty of natural talent, they each have an X-factor that separates them from most swimmers.
“Dylan has a really competitive nature,” he said. “He doesn’t like to lose and you usually find that in the best swimmers. He’ll do what it takes to win and he trains hard.
“Emily is probably the hardest worker I’ve had since I’ve been here. She does a lot of stuff over and above what we ask to do. And she’s got that competitive fire as well.”
While Emily dabbles in all four strokes, Dylan is strictly a freestyler. (Although, as Lukco said, “he could have been pretty much anything because of his talent.”) That’s fine with both of them, since it makes picking events easier for Dylan and staves off boredom for Emily.
“It’s nice to switch it up,” she said.
While Emily plans to swim at Duquesne next season, Dylan says this is it for his swimming career. (He’ll attend Cleveland State and Lukco is already hoping to talk him into continuing his career.)
Either way, they admit it will be difficult to say goodbye to something that’s been a huge part of their lives the past four years.
“It’s been a thrill to be part of this program,” Dylan said.
Added Emily: “It’s bittersweet. I’ve really loved the past four years and the school has been so supportive of me. I’ve made some great friends and great connections in and out of the pool. It’s a little sad, but I’m excited for the next stage of my life.”