Burlington's Amari Baliey makes the most of her time, both in the pool and out
Amari Bailey is a girl of many talents.
The Burlington High School junior isn't one to sit idly by and watch life pass her by. Instead, she keeps a full plate from the time she gets up in the morning until the time she goes to bed at night.
Bailey has lofty goals and she's taking steps every day to make those dreams come true.
Bailey is on the Burlington High School girls swim team this fall, a sport she's participated in the last 13 1/2 years at one level or another
At the same time, she's doing the Explorer's Training Program with both the Burlington and West Burlington fire departments twice a month and hopes to be a firefighter when all is said and done.
Next year, she plans to begin work on her Emergency Medical Technicians certification.
Once she graduates from Burlington High School in 2024, Bailey plans to get qualified as a paramedic.
On Sundays, Bailey spends time doing ride-alongs with the Burlington Police Department.
If that's not enough, she spent the summer as the head lifeguard at the West Burlington City Pool.
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It's all just another day in the life of Amari Bailey.
"I try to keep myself busy. I don't like to not do anything," said Bailey, the daughter of Antonio and Stephanie Bailey. "I really love helping people. That's always been my strong suit. I like to put other people before me and make sure people are safe."
"Amari is just an overall great student-athlete. I know she works hard in school and at her extra-curricular activities. Just a great community kid," said first-year BHS girls swimming coach Emily Hill, who swam for Iowa State University.
Bailey, who also throws shot put and discus for the Grayhounds in the spring, is never very far from water. She loves to swim and loves being a part of the Burlington girls swim team.
The swimming pool is like a home away from home for her.
"Swim is like my second home. I absolutely love swimming. I've been swimming for 13 1/2 years. I absolutely love it," Bailey said. "I love being in the water. It's comfortable. It feels really relaxing and soothing. I really enjoy it."
Bailey admittedly isn't the fastest swimmer in the world, but she's one of the most efficient. Few swimmers have better technique than Bailey, who's worked hard to perfect her craft with Hill, former Burlington coach Mark Shepherd and Ryan Ritter, whose daughter, Olivia, is a freshman on the team this year.
"My 100 breaststroke, which this is my third time swimming it in a high school meet, I dropped 10 seconds. I went from a 1:54 to a 1:44," Bailey said after Saturday's Grayhound Invitational at the BHS pool. "I swam my 100 butterfly today and dropped three seconds from my last meet. I swam a 1:33 my last meet and today I swam a 1:30. I felt overall I did a really, really good job today and I'm really proud of myself."
"Amari is one of several girls who have swam since I started coaching in the YMCA, so she is someone I know and have worked with over the years," Hill said. "She comes here and she works hard for us. She's a great team leader and she is starting to see some time improvements and even some best times, so that's awesome."
This past summer, Bailey put her swimming knowledge to use, rescuing five people from possibly drowning while working at the pool over the summer. Bailey takes it all in stride.
"It gives you an adrenaline rush. You don't really think about, 'What do I do?' You just jump in and get them out. I really enjoy lifeguarding," Bailey said. "I'm a swimmer, so I know when someone can't swim. You also look at their description. If they are a little kid and you give them a swim test and if they can't pass it they can't be in the deep end."
Bailey does the Explorer's Training Program with both the Burlington and West Burlington fire departments twice a month each. There, she gets to work a shift with the fire department, ride along to calls and do the everyday duties of a firefighter.
Bailey does the same with the Burlington Police Department on Sundays.
She's been doing the programs for the last year and hopes to one day become a full-time firefighter.
"I get it from both of my parents. My dad is a coach at Edward Stone. He coaches basketball, football, track. My mom is the manager at Happy Joe's, so she deals with the public all the time. They are both very hard workers," Bailey said. "My plan is to be a firefighter. I'm a junior at BHS right now. Once I become a senior I am planning to do my EMT training at Southeastern Community College. Once I am out of school I plan to do my paramedic and go on my way."
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Burlington's Amari Baliey makes the most of her time, both in and out of pool
