For many, the Olympics are a far-off event that they watch with athletes from around the world competing. For Coffman High School senior Emily Brown however, she sees herself competing one day.
Brown is an accomplished swimmer, having broken several records and currently holding state records in the 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly for girls. She had a hand in changing the landscape of state- and national-level swimming by pushing those benchmarks to a new level of competitiveness.
“Someone might look at swimming from the outside and think that it is an individual sport, but it’s very much a team sport, with relays, earning points for your team and training together, it’s a very family-oriented sport, which is what I like about it,” Brown says.
Photos by Donna Keidel, DK Photographic. Courtesy of Katy Brown
Brown’s journey started when she was six years old after her mother signed her up for swim lessons. With a lake house in Michigan, her mom wanted to ensure Brown knew how to swim. Little did she know they would quickly find Brown was a natural in the water.
As her swim career expanded, Brown ran into her first big challenge at just 10 years old when her coach passed away.
“He had a heart attack after swim practice one day. That was really, really tough to get through,” Katy Brown, Brown’s mother, says. “And without him, the kids were kind of lost on direction. At 10, this is hard to comprehend.”
Several years later, Brown faced more challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic added uncertainty to what could happen with her local pools.
“Dublin wasn’t sure if they would keep the pool open, and with Emily having some big goals, we made the decision to switch over and she swam for Westerville for a year,” Katy says. “With a new coaching staff and a new team, she came through with flying colors.”
A persistent issue for not only Brown but many high school swimmers in central Ohio is finding practice times. With few pool options and limited practice times to work around, getting enough time to practice can be a bit of a challenge.
Family Passion
Brown comes from a long line of swimmers. Her mom, Katy, swam at the club level in high school, two of Brown’s cousins swam in college and her mom’s uncle competed in the Olympic trials for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. In her final season at Coffman, Brown was able to swim with her younger sister, Jessica, passing on her swim cap as she moves on to swim at the University of Tennessee.
Throughout many of the challenges she has faced, Brown has been able to work with Mark Birnbrich who is the head coach of the swim team at Coffman.
Birnbrich has had a great impact on her career through his novel take on coaching and the connections he has been able to build with the team over the years.
“I’ve built a relationship with the kids where they know they can be honest with me about how they’re feeling. I say, ‘I don’t expect everyone to have a perfect workout every day, but I’m expecting all of you to be truthful about where you’re at,’” Birnbrich says.
Together, they have fond memories they share of pre-meet rituals.
“Every big swim meet, I bring her (Brown) a bag of gummy bears, no matter what,” Birnbrich says. “Maybe a small bag or maybe a big bag, but there is a pack of gummy bears at our meets.”
Birnbrich started doing this after Brown shared how much she liked the gummy snack and he wanted to help remind her to relax and have fun at the meets.
With a rigorous schedule of lifting three times a week in the mornings and practicing every day after school, it’s important to Brown that she maintain a positive attitude.
Photos by Donna Keidel, DK Photographic, Courtesy of Katy Brown
“Some swimmers tend to be very serious and intimidating behind the blocks, but I’ve learned that I tend to relax and talk to people behind the blocks,” Brown says. “But when it’s go-time, I really focus. It’s like a switch; I just know when to turn on my focus.”
This competitive spirit translates to Brown’s life out of the pool as well. In school, she is a four-time Scholastic All-American, and has taken several A.P. courses including U.S. Government and Politics, English Language and Composition and American Studies.
She also loves reading, especially dystopian and fantasy novels such as the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown that she is currently reading.
“Ever since elementary school, I have been a big reader,” Brown says. “Reading and writing are definitely my passions. I’ve also been writing stories ever since I can remember.”
This fall, Brown is poised to take her talents to the University of Tennessee, where she plans to major in Psychology.
Birnbrich believes Brown will do well with her new team in Tennessee as he feels she is equipped for the world of professional college athletics, even with the new challenges it brings.
Brown hopes she can make the Olympic team while in college and is looking forward to continuing to swim for a very long time.
“After college, I would love to live in Tennessee and swim Masters,” Brown says. “I want to keep swimming because I love it so much.”
Ria Akhilesh is an editorial assistant for CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com
