Tim Maxwell is a typical 21-year old gay man. A college senior at Pace University, majoring in Communication Arts. He lives his life day by day, going to classes and working as an intern for Details magazine.
But four years ago, life was even easier. Growing up in North Jersey, Tim had fewer responsibilities and more time to do the things he loved, specifically, swimming. “My parents made sure my brother and I were very active in sports growing up. I started swimming at age 6 and I’ve been doing it ever since. At times it seemed like I was in the water more than I was on land.”
His mom and dad would travel as far as Bayonne, cheering him on at almost every swim meet. Tim recalls the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League meet, “In the middle of crowd, I could see my parents screaming my name and the ear-to-ear smile on my mom’s face. That was just the motivation I needed to pull ahead and win.” Their support seems to have helped as Tim placed ninth out of 40 in the 200-meter medley.
After starting college Tim took a hiatus from swimming because he didn’t have the time, but now with the help of Team New York Aquatics (TNYA), New York’s gay and lesbian swimming club, he’s ready to get wet again. “This is such a great group of people. The level of respect and camaraderie amongst the members immediately made me feel comfortable and welcome. I felt like I was part of a team from the first day.”
Tim went to his first workout with TNYA and expected to start where he left off four years ago but he was quickly reminded that his body wasn’t in the same shape that it use to be. He’s no Michael Phelps but he’s back in the pool and that’s what counts.
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