SWIMMING KYLE KIMERER Boardman Spartans
It takes so much dedication and perseverance to qualify for the state swimming meet three times. Boardman senior Kyle Kimerer overflows with those attributes in and out of the pool.
In his final varsity season, Kimerer qualified for the state meet in two individual races (200 freestyle, 100 butterfly) and two relay races (200 medley and 400 freestyle with Callen Aulizia, Matthew DunLany and Noah Basista).
In the classroom, Kimerer has a 4.0 grade-point average and will be one of Boardman’s 15-or-so top students speaking at commencement.
Believe it or not, Kimerer many years ago considered dropping swimming.
“It seemed difficult,” Kimerer said. “But then when I got into year-round swimming, that’s when things started picking up for me.”
Kimerer’s swimming career will continue at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., where he will study accounting information systems.
“Math is probably my strongest subject,” Kimerer said.
Swimming is more than spending six days a week in the pool. Kimerer’s fitness program includes running and weight lifting before school three times a week.
“Definitely a lot of training involved [in swimming] and that takes up the free time that I have,” Kimerer said.
Kimerer’s parents (Kerry and Patty) were distance runners.
“Swimming was definitely a foreign thing to them, really not in the gene pool, no pun intended,” Kimerer said.
Kimerer and Aulizia are graduating and Boardman swimming coach Terry O’Halloran is retiring after coaching the Spartans since 1985.
“He is way more than just a coach to me,” Kimerer said of his former teacher. “He’s been my life since fourth grade. He has been an extreme role model for me. I attribute all of my success to him.”
Kimerer said Aulizia is the brother he never had.
“We have always pushed each other,” Kimerer said. “It’s a friendly competition, but it’s also us pushing each other forward.
“Cal has been my absolute best friend throughout this journey.”
Kimerer cited Julie Sturgiss (sociology), Alyssa Birch (photography) and Brian Racz (AP government) as teachers who have made an impact on him.
“[Racz’s] class was probably my favorite class that I’ve taken in high school,” Kimerer said.