Time. 

For Coppell junior swimmer Bella Malick, life is all about time.

Ten years of swimming. Two hours of practice per day. Two minutes and 22 seconds to swim the 200-yard individual medley. 

Five days a week.

The moment Malick wakes up at 6:30 a.m. to her alarm of cheerful chirping birds, her mind immediately goes to the pool. By 7 a.m., she is at the Coppell YMCA for an optional school practice. After 8:15 a.m., she prepares for her school day and heads over to the Coppell High School. She returns to the pool for mandatory practice in fourth and eighth periods.

Finally, she spends a couple of hours on homework and gets a well-rested night’s sleep to do it all over the next morning.

“Whether it’s swimming or school, I’m completely dedicated and do everything in my control to excel,” Malick said. “Going to those extra practices helps me compete against myself and my old times.”

With a firm and consistent schedule such as Malick’s, it may be difficult to see the variance and beauty every new day brings. However, according to Coppell senior swimmer Shreya Kumara, Malick comes to the pool every morning with a smile on her face and a joke to make her teammates laugh.

“Even in the mornings, she has that intrinsic motivation that keeps her constantly improving each week,” Kumara said. “I’ve seen her improve drastically over a short period of time, and now she is one of the fastest swimmers on the team. Whenever she is in the water, she has the race mindset and will always finish what she started.”

One thing Malick is proud of is the drastic 13 seconds she shaved off her personal record for the 200-yard individual medley (a quarter of butterfly, a quarter of backstroke, a quarter of breaststroke and a quarter of freestyle) last month, setting her new personal best at 2:22.

“[Malick] is driven beyond what I normally see in swimmers, which is inspiring on a personal level,” Coppell swimming coach Marieke Mastebroek said. “[She] is exceptional in how she tackles just about anything. I had Malick in my business class during her freshman year, and she applies the same work ethic to the pool. She is a role model, and her leadership abilities make her a fantastic addition to the team.”

Malick’s academic course load consists of AP classes, which keep her busy. Though, with her time management skills and positive attitude, she is able to keep her priorities in order.

“She is one of the smartest people I know,” Kumara said. “She is on top of her academics and swimming. She never complains and is good at time management in general. She is able to balance everything, which can be hard for others.”

Time may not stop for anyone, but when Malick steps in the water, it might as well. 

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