My name is Madelyn Weber, and I am a senior student-athlete at IU Indianapolis. I am pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Youth Physical Wellness Programming. I came to Indianapolis to swim on the women’s Swim and Dive team as well as continue my education through the school of Health and Human Science’s. Being in a big city is definitely an adjustment but it also offers so many opportunities that smaller campus’s don’t(including the 21 active hospitals just in Indy)!
SWIMMING, it has been a huge and extremely influential part of my life. I have been competitively swimming for 11 plus years, with me finishing out my final year collegiately. In short- my experiences on my swim teams(whether that be at practice, meets, in the weight room, hanging out with friends on my team, etc) have shaped me to be who I am. I have had 3 coaches over my swimming career, one of them being my father who is one of my biggest roll models. My dad is my best friend; he coached me, tutored me in math, is a wonderful father. 90% of our conversations are somehow swimming related, we are either talking about what I can do outside of the pool to get better, or what can be done at practice to improve. Swimming has taught me everything about pride, passion, hard-work, and perseverance. Waking up at 5am for the past 11 years doesn’t come without bumps in the road, it takes an extreme amount of love, and passion, to continue the constant battle every morning.
THE SJ5K is a student run(high school) charity organization. They help raise money for families in need in the Plymouth Canton community; over the past decade they’ve raised over half a million dollars. I had the opportunity to lead all five middle schools in our district to help make a change. I learned patience when communicating with parents, teachers, and students. Not everything will go exactly according to plan, and thats alright; you have to be able to make the necessary adjustments and move on. I also learned the importance, and power of trusting and believing in those around you. Seeing the entire community coming together to help 4-6 families a year is truly inspiring. Battles cannot always be fought alone, it is overwhelming to see the everyone come together.
Working at Colony Swim Club provided me with valuable professional experience, including coaching children in both team and individual settings, lifeguarding, communicating effectively with parents, and collaborating with staff to support a program of over 150 children ages 4-18. Throughout my time there, I consistently took on a leadership ole by guiding swimmers during meets and practices, supporting and mentoring younger staff members, and helping maintain a positive, and safe team environment. I approached each responsibility with initiative and enthusiasm. I enjoy working with children because of their positivity, eagerness to learn, and energy! In addition to coaching, I worked as a lifeguard for six years, a role that allowed to developed a different but equally as important set of skills focused on safety, awareness, and the ability to make decisions quickly. These skills are valuable not just in a pool setting, but in many other areas of life and work.
In the spring of 2025 at IU Indy myself, as well as 4 others from the IU Indy swim team began teaching swimming technique to some kids(students) in IPS. We meet twice a week and go over all four strokes, turns, and starts. Part of the program is also helping the schools coaches, who may have little to no swimming experience of their own, on what good technique is and how to help their swimmers. It makes me very happy to be able to use my experience to help kids learn how to be more efficient in the water, and watch them enjoy learning and swimming.
RESUME
