Monday through Saturday. 6 a.m. practice on Monday. 5:30 a.m. practice on Tuesday. No morning practice Wednesday. 5:30 a.m. practice on Thursday. 6 a.m. practice on Friday. 7 a.m. practice on Saturday. 4 p.m. practice every day.

This is junior Olivia Luplow’s demanding swim team practice schedule annually from mid-August to mid-November.

“[Swim team] makes me really tired,” Olivia said, “because I don’t sleep ever. But, it’s probably made me tougher.”

Olivia has been swimming for seven years, and she has been competitively swimming for five years. She developed her passion for swimming through her parents; she can recall them frequently taking her to swim at a nearby pool when she was younger.

“We have a bunch of pictures of me [swimming] at like one years old,” Olivia said.

Olivia also enjoys lakes and oceans, which accurately reflects her passion for swimming as well.

“I guess I just always loved water,” Olivia said.

Olivia’s parents decided to divorce around the time Olivia turned one year old. Due to this, Olivia had to move houses—and schools—quite frequently from the time she was in preschool until fourth grade.

“I was always bouncing around from school to school,” Olivia said.

After attending ten different schools within five years—two of the schools being within the same week—Olivia finally transferred into the Forest Hills District.

“I was just trying to find the right school, I guess,” Olivia said.

Eventually, having just her mom and sister at home encouraged Olivia to hunt for a common hobby between the three of them. Ultimately, she found one: baking.

“My mom has always loved to bake,” Olivia said. “She has been baking bread, just because, since I was so little.”

Olivia shares her mom’s baking skills; her favorite foods to bake are bread and cake. She spends the majority of her time baking when she is not participating in a sport, which is mostly during the winter and summer.

“[My mom] just loves to [bake],” Olivia said. “So, she taught me that too.”

Olivia can recall her passion for baking deriving from her mom. One of her favorite memories is of her mom, sister, and her all baking in the kitchen when she was young.

“We were baking oatmeal raisin cookies,” Olivia said, “We were dancing, singing, and had music playing. I don’t know how we did this, but we forgot to put the oatmeal and the raisins in.”

What could have been a disappointing situation turned into a humorous one, and Olivia recollected not being able to stop laughing alongside her mom and sister.

“They came out so bad,” Olivia said. “It was so funny because we had to scrape them off the pan. I was super little, but I just remember that being really hilarious.”

In the long run, Olivia’s sister attended the University of Alabama, fell in love with the state, and decided to move there once she graduated. Olivia and her sister are fairly close; however, it is not easy to frequently communicate.

“She is far away,” Olivia said. “Plus, she’s just much older than me– eight years older.”

Olivia wishes that she had more pets and more things to do. She enjoys sleeping, watching TV, writing, and eating at new restaurants. However, time does not permit her to take up any more hobbies or activities.

“If I didn’t swim, I don’t know what I would do,” Olivia said. “I’d have too much time.”

However, once she reached high school, Olivia decided to join the water polo team. Water polo allowed her to compete more directly with a team, which she is deprived of when she swims.

“My favorite thing about water polo is that it’s aggressive,” Olivia said. “It’s nice to actually play a game against people.”

Monday through Friday. 5:30 a.m. practice on Tuesday. 5:30 a.m. practice on Thursday. 3:30 p.m. practice every day.

This is Olivia Luplow’s demanding water polo practice schedule annually from February to June.

“I guess there is something about [swimming],” Olivia said, “that I just can’t quit.”