Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Stuart Timmerman, New Trier swimming

Stuart Timmerman is a senior Trevians swimmer who won the 50-yard freestyle at the IHSA championships. He will compete at the University of Southern California next year.

1. Do you have any prerace rituals or superstitions?

Really nothing special. I always eat the same breakfast, stay consistent: two eggs and an English muffin and some fruit. Nothing super weird before a race. Don’t overthink is my thing.

2. Why is USC a good fit for you?

I think the coaches are incredible. They have a good history of swimming success, and the weather makes it an obvious choice. You get to train outside every day, and that’s very good for a sport like swimming. 

3. When did you first get into swimming?

I think it was honestly at a very young age — probably like 8 or 10. I was swimming at Sunset Ridge Country Club and really liked winning and thought it was fun. I joined a club from there. 

4. If you could try another sport, what would it be?

Maybe tennis. I really like tennis. It’s another solo sport. There’s something about individual sports that’s really fun to me. I played (tennis) growing up then kinda stopped. 

5. What is your dream job? 

I feel like a really fun job would be a professional golfer. You get to go to most beautiful golf courses as a job and play and it’s still being a professional athlete. 

6. Who is your favorite athlete? 

I guess I have a couple. I really like Caeleb Dressel (multi-time Olympic gold medalist, Team USA). I like the way he approaches stuff and the way he trains. 

7. What do you hope to accomplish at USC?

A lot of things. I would love to win a Big Ten title. It’s kind of a stretch, but it would be cool. And I’d like to set a school record in the 100 breaststroke or something, cement myself in history. 

8. If you go to Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

Probably some of those chocolate-covered pretzels and maybe a Gatorade (lemon-lime)

9. What is your favorite thing to do outside of the pool?

I like to play golf. It’s really fun, even though I am bad. I love playing golf with friends in the summer, just something else to do beside swimming, take my mind off things and still be competitive. 

10. What did New Trier swimming mean to you?

It means everything to me. Not really because of the sport itself, but because of people, some incredible teammates, from seniors my freshman year to the freshmen my senior year. And obviously I’ve had the best three coaches in the world. The people on that team are incredible. It’s so fun to be able to win that title with them and share it with them. 

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