Sara Tillie is a junior on the women’s swimming and diving team. Tillie is from Fallston, Md. and is majoring in medical anthropology and Asian studies.
Ben Yavitt: It is good to hear from you, Sara. How long have you been a swimmer?
Sara Tillie: 15 years.
BY: Impressive. I know I would have drowned at that age. What inspired you to start?
ST: My mother signed me up for swim team at age five so I could rid myself of floaties.
BY: She knows what’s best for you. Do you have any other hobbies?
ST: Catching legendary Pokémon and petting squirrels.
BY: Those rank in my top five hobbies for sure. Let’s switch gears though. Who is your favorite athlete?
ST: Chris Butler. Best water polo player ever.
BY: If he were as good at water polo as he is at calculus, I would believe it. Do you have any athletics honors?
ST: All UAA in the 200 and 400 Medley Relays.
BY: Hang those up on the wall. What about academic honors?
ST: CSCAA Academic All-American Honorable Mention and All-UAA Academic.
BY: The longer the acronym, the more prestigious the award. Very nice. What is you best swimming memory?
ST: Bringing tears of joy to Coach Emily Wylam’s eyes after our 400 Medley relay
got third at UAA’s last February.
BY: I assumed those tears were from all the chlorine. Lets hear your favorite quote.
ST: LOFO MOFO, LOFO (means last one fast one by the way…).
BY: I don’t care what it means as long as it isn’t YOLO. Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
ST: Studying any indigenous populations that may be left in the world.
BY: That’s kind of sad. Good luck with that one. Tell us, what makes swimming stand out from other sports?
ST: You don’t really have to shower after practice cause you’re already clean. You also get to spend a lot of time with your teammates. I mean, a lot of time.
BY: Yeah I never thought of your practice as a three hour-long shower… If they made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?
ST: Kathryn Madalena, We look identical and she has had the past 2.5 years to study
my life.
BY: Sounds like a blockbuster hit. What I really want to know now is, what is your least favorite part about swimming?
ST: Having unquenchably dry skin.
BY: Switch out the pool water with skin lotion. That might help in the long run. If you could participate in any other sport, which would you pick and why?
ST: Equestrian so I could have an unconditional best animal friend that did cool tricks.
BY: You might like ostrich racing also. They can do cooler tricks. Tell us, what might we find in your locker right now that might surprise us?
ST: Hair regrowth shampoo… The chlorine really takes a toll on my eyebrows.
BY: Just the eyebrows? I would be concerned about other areas as well (For me it would be my manly moustache I am growing out for November). What is the one thing that most people don’t know about swimming?
ST: Not every swimmer looks as good as Ryan Lochte in a speedo.
BY: Really? Why do people watch swimming then? What goes through your mind during a match?
ST: Cats.
BY: That’s funny, because I am always thinking about cats (even as we do this interview, my cat is attacking my feet). What is the high point of the season?
ST: Taper Time, definitely. I’m fairly certain everyone has superhuman strength for the 3 weeks before championships.
BY: Who is the best athlete you have ever competed against and why?
ST: I once touched Michael Phelps’ butt in the warm-up pool. Does that count?
BY: Why yes. It does in fact count. Any insights on how the season is going so far?
ST: We are definitely off to a good start and already accomplishing some of our goals. For the women’s team, there is nowhere to go but up and I definitely believe we are capable of that.
BY: Wow, that’s great to hear. Thanks a lot Sara, and good luck with the rest of the season!