Molly Bilbray-Axelrod is a junior Theater Tech major and Film minor at Las Vegas Academy Of The Arts. Not only does she pour her time and dedication into her major and minor but also into a sport. Bilbray-Axelrod competes on the Cimarron Memorial Spartans varsity swim team.
High school swim team is not a year round sport, so during the off season Bilbray-Axelrod practices at Pavilion Pool here in Las Vegas.
Most athletes are going to have the highest highs and the lowest lows. Athletic performances are most definitely not linear. Since Bilbray-Axelrod doesn’t swim year round, she will practice two months before the season starts to get her body back in shape. “It used to be when I would come back to swim it would take me a while to get back into the game. Now, I start practicing about a month or two beforehand. I try to get into it so that I have less of a curve that I need to overcome and I can get back into the game right away, ” said Bilbray-Axelrod.
Bilbray-Axelrod has been competing in varsity swim for two years now and has lots of fond memories. “My favorite memory was at the end of the year (2022), at the very last swim meet. We all know it’s all about to end and we kind of goof off a little and make videos where we can talk about what we liked about this year so much,” said Bilbray-Axelrod.
Enjoying one’s sport is very important. Bilbray-Axelrod says that, not only does she swim for the team, but also because she genuinely loves the sport. “I really do like my sport. My team is pretty good but I just love the sport itself. It (swimming) is one of my favorite sports to do.”
Although many high school athletes no longer pursue their sport after graduating, Bilbray-Axelrod said, “I would definitely want to stay with this one (swimming) but I’m also open to other sports. I have always wanted to pursue soccer and tennis because they are sports I used to commit myself to before swimming.”
After high school, Bilbray-Axelrod plans on continuing with swimming but also trying out diving. “I definitely want to get into diving more but it (swimming) is something that I want to pursue after school,” said Bilbray-Axelrod.
After competing for two years Bilbray-Axelrod’s biggest advice for other athletes is to, “Always try to stay committed to your craft, it’s just like an art form. Never let your skills get rusty. Keep at it.” said Bilbray-Axelrod.
