Chelsea swimmer is looking forward to competing at Hope College

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Bella Turner at the 2020 Division 3 state finals. photo by Mike Williamson

Chelsea’s Bella Turner found the right place for her, where she hopes to take her athletic and academic goals to the next level.

Turner, a standout swimmer at Chelsea High School, recently signed with Hope College to compete with the swim team and learn inside the classroom.

She said it’s a decision she’s happy with and she’s looking forward to what comes next.

“I feel relieved and confident about signing with Hope,” she told The Sun Times News (STN). “For athletes my age, making a decision about where to go to school can be really overwhelming. I felt a lot of pressure to pick the right school, and originally felt the need to go to a big and competitive school. Eventually I decided that a lovely, small, liberal arts college was the right fit for me. I am beyond excited that I found a place where I can be challenged but still stand out as a leader.”

What she likes most about Hope is the program and people it attracts.

“I've already made all kinds of friends,” she said. “It is exactly the type of academic program I was looking for.”

Bella Turner on signing day. photo courtesy of Chelsea Athletics

STN asked her about her high school years and what stands out to her. She said the highlights of her years at CHS seem like too many to count.

“My personal favorite moments were my freshman state finalist finishes, breaking Chelsea records, obtaining all 13 state cuts, winning races at SECs, and my first race after my ankle-break,” she said. “However, the moments that will stay with me forever are those that I shared with my teammates. Moments like winning SECs, getting relay-records, qualifying a relay for states on our very last chance, holding a big trophy with my team after state meet, locker-room dance parties, swim camp, team cheers, and simply just the way practices with my teammates after long days at school could always cheer me up. I am so grateful for my time at Chelsea and what it has made me as a person and an athlete.”

There is something really special about the swim team at Chelsea for her.

“I feel truly bitter-sweet about leaving them,” she said. “Teams across the conference looked up to us because of our amazing environment and energy. We always cheered the loudest for our team and others. The excitement we brought to the pool deck is contagious and inspiring. I'm glad I was able to spend my last year as a captain and continue to create a positive and loving environment.”

She added, “I hope that I can carry this part of me to Hope’s swim team”

In looking back, she said there are a lot of people who have supported and made a difference in her life.

“There's too many amazing people I could say contributed to my success; my grandparents, family, coaches, and teammates,” she said.

However, there is one person that has been a constant.

“But, I have to take this opportunity to talk about my mom,” Turner said. “It was her constant traveling and hotel rooms, car rides with her loudest pump-up playlists, pre-event motivational text messages, best prepared ‘snack bags’ on the pool deck, countless swim camps, loudest screams from the stands, posters, swimsuits, hospital bills, and her abundance of encouragement that got me to where I am today. In a way she deserves the other half of all my awards and medals. She was my biggest fan and supporter, without her it wouldn't be possible.”

As for the next steps, she will look to some of things that have played a big part for her up to now, including continuing to work hard and set goals.

“Hard work has absolutely paid off,” she said. “About eight months ago when I broke my ankle to the point where I needed two plates and 17 screws, motivation was hard to find. But just weeks after my surgery, I was in the pool again, and starting my senior swim season less than two months later. I had clear goals and a mind, and things I still wanted to achieve that couldn’t wait. Not only did I have to work overtime, but I had to learn new ways to swim and start-jump with my other leg. I had to keep my head up, and by the end of the season the hard work paid off.”

She’s motivated by her successes and failures.

“I am my biggest competition in life, constantly competing to be better than I was yesterday,” she said. “My failures often give me reason to create new goals, and my successes remind me why they were worth it.”

Bella Turner with coach Andrew Thompson at the SEC White Finals this season. photo by Mike Williamson
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