Swimming has been a part of Amanda Harlow’s life since she was 5.

But she wasn’t sold on the concept for nearly five years.

At age 9 she qualified for age group state and she was hooked.

“Our whole family swam,” she said. “We took swimming lessons instead of going to day care. I remember the first day I had swim practice I already knew I would hate it. I was real little. I was leaning up against the couch arm and I was the same height. I said, ‘Mom, why can’t I stay home by myself?’ I wasn’t really into it for like the first five years. But then I started doing good and I got into it.”

She not only got into it, but she exceled at it.

Harlow set records both at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA and at the state level. Only recently were records 8 and under state records broken.

Once Harlow reached high school she followed in her sibling’s footsteps and joined the Bridgman Co-op Swim Team. She spent time on the high school team and at the YMCA through her sophomore year.

At Bridgman, swimmers from Niles, Lakeshore, Buchanan and the host school make up the team. Since the Bees are a co-op team, they must compete in Division 1 at the Michigan High School Athletic Association meets, despite the fact that there are only 22 swimmers and divers on the squad.

“It’s really tough for us to qualify for the state meet,” Harlow said.

The team begins practice in mid-August and practice or compete every day after school through the first week of November. That means a 25-mile drive to Bridgman. Meets are held weeknights at sites such as Bridgman, Allegan or Sturgis.

Harlow has also had morning practices with other members of the team from Niles at 5:30 a.m. at the YMCA.

But all that hard work has paid off. She is a four-time All-Big 16 Conference team member. Harlow not only excels in the swimming pool, but in the classroom as well where she is an honor student at Niles.

One of the best things about her experience has been “meeting the people and getting to know them,” she said. “Meeting my second coach (Janet Beemer). She has been great to me. You get to do a lot of different things.”

For those interested in joining the swim team at Bridgman, Harlow says that there is a signup sheet in the high school office.

She also suggested talking to Charlotte Bizeo, who will be a junior on the team next year or Beemer.

Harlow is hoping to continue her career at the collegiate level. Among the schools she is looking at is Grand Valley State University, which also has the advertising program she it interested.