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100 wins under her belt, Emma Butzler strives for more success

Student-athlete and Marist College commit Emma Butzler poses for a senior photo for Jersey Shore High School. (Photo Provided)

JERSEY SHORE — On Tuesday night, Jersey Shore High School swimming took on Lewisburg, but it was senior Emma Butzler who stole the show with a headline of 100 individual career wins.

And the funny thing is, she didn’t even know she was at this momentous milestone.

“I’m really excited. I knew I was close at the beginning of the season, but my parents and coaches didn’t tell me what my exact numbers were,” said Butzler. “I just found out last Wednesday that I got my 99th win.”

In addition to the 100 career wins, Butzler is a member of 77 winning relays. She has earned over 1,150 points for the Bulldogs swimming program, including both individual and relay events. Butzler also earned All-State recognition her freshman and junior years in the 100 fly, and was a six-time PIAA state qualifier.

Needless to say, Emma Butzler has solidified herself as a legend in this area’s sports scene.

Need more proof?

Check out this little gem:

According to former Jersey Shore Athletic Director Bill Mincer, no other swimmer has won over 100 individual events in the school’s history. There is a possibility that Joy Sunberg accomplished this feat back in the 1970’s, but there are no official statistics to confirm that record. According to the official record books, Butzler is the only Lady Bulldogs swimmer to succeed in getting 100 career wins.

It’s been a dominating year, and career at that, for Butzler. But humble pie was the entree received when she was asked about her building legend in swimming.

“I don’t consider myself a legend,” said Butzler.

And this shouldn’t come as a surprise, Butzler has been focused strictly on her career since a young age.

Emma Butzler started swimming at the age of four for the Jersey Shore summer team, while also taking lessons from Betty Balzer at the Lock Haven YMCA. In the beginning phases of her life as a swimmer, Butzler moved around to multiple teams including the Jersey Shore and Lock Haven YMCA teams, the Williamsport USA team and eventually settled on the Greater Susquehanna Valley YMCA team, who she still currently swims for.

“I moved around a lot to find a good swim program that would take me to the level I wanted to swim at,” said Butzler. “I travel to Susquehanna University three times a week for training. I get to train with the best swimmers in central Pennsylvania.”

Also helping out with Butzler’s development has been Jersey Shore coaches, Jenna Brooks and Jon Palumbo.

“My coaches are very supportive and understanding of situations,” said Butzler. “They are upbeat and positive.”

And not only is Butzler taking development from the JS program, but she’s also taking away a lot of memories.

“I will remember all the work I put in the weight room and pool, often times alone. I will remember all the car drives with my parents going to big meets and practices,” said Butzler. “I will remember not being able to breathe in the pool with my teammates and coughing because the air was so bad. I will remember the time when I got to stand on the first place podium with my relay and going to states with my relays.”

And with memories comes a new beginning, so what’s next for local swimming sensation Emma Butzler?

College, of course. Marist College.

“I visited 10 colleges. I guess I was really picky, but I wanted to make sure the school, team and coaches were a good fit for me,” said Butzler. “I liked Marist because I thought it fit me best academically and with swimming.”

Butzler will be majoring in environmental science and mathematics. Her eventual goal in life is to be an environmental engineer, and work in third world countries to bring fresh water to people.

“I want to continue to improve my swimming, but also challenge myself academically,” said Butzler. “I look forward to being pushed by teammates in the pool and weight room. I’m really excited to start a new chapter in my life in a different area of the country and meet new people from all over.”

With the superb dominance at the high school level and the tremendous potential at the college level, the possibility of an Olympics run couldn’t help but to be brought up, but Butzler was quick to shut that down.

“No Olympics for me. I’m good for this area, but not for the entire United States. I don’t see myself always competing in the pool, but will use swimming as a lifelong sport,” said Butzler. “I plan on swimming for four years in college, then possibly swimming in open water and triathlon competitions. I did both this summer and loved it. I also see myself coaching someday. I love making up practices and helping my teammates with their strokes.”

Butzler went on to mention some of her biggest inspirations and motivations, including Luke Engel, her current teammates at both Jersey Shore and GSVY, and her coaches. But the biggest takeaway had to be her connection with her parents, Kelly Butzler and Tom Butzler – her biggest motivations in life.

“They have driven me all over the state to compete and practice,” said Butzler. “My parents have been a huge factor in where I am. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know if I would be the swimmer I am today.”

When Emma was younger, her parents were able to see that she needed more advance training, so every night of her young career, they would take three hours out of their night to take Emma to Lock Haven to get the training.

On top of that, the Butzlers would also take Emma to Williamsport every Sunday to do cross fit training.

“They made sure I got the techniques and correction I needed by getting me private lessons,” said Butzler. “My mother would spend hours in the car driving me to swim practice or swim meets. Most of my swimming career, my mother was my coach on deck telling me what she thought of the races and how I could improve.”

Emma continued with more admiration for her mother, Kelly Butzler.

“I have gone to many meets with only my mother for company, and even after all of my complaining and crying that I did, she didn’t let me quit, stray from my goals or quit as my coach,” said Butzler. “My mother has shown me countless times through her actions that if you have a goal, you should work as hard as you can for it.”

Then you have her father, Tom Butzler.

“He’s had a huge role in my swimming career. He was the one who would always relate swimming to life lessons,” said Butzler. “For example, when I didn’t achieve my goal sophomore year, he had sat me down and told me to use my ‘failures’ as motivation for the next swim season. He taught me if things didn’t go right, then I shouldn’t give up, but reflect and change my ways.”

And not only training and lessons has Tom Butzler contributed, but he’s spent countless hours writing articles for multiple newspapers and posting on his blog to gain recognition for not just Emma, but the Jersey Shore swimming team as a whole.

Truly admirable.

“He has also had his share of car rides with me to swim practices or morning lifting, some of which I will never forget,” said Butzler. “My dad and I would train for triathlons in the summer by biking the rails to trials and then swimming in the Pine Creek. He made sure I had a good balance of swimming and fun.”

She also added, “but he still has never beat me in a race no matter how many times he has claimed he could.”

Father Butzler is also largely responsible for the signing to Marist College by Emma, as he was the one who discovered the establishment online.

“Both of my parents are the two hardest working people I know, and it shows through all their actions,” said Butzler. “They have taught me to find a sport I loved to do so I could exercise the rest of my life. Most importantly, they are willing to invest their time into my siblings and I in sports and academics.”

Even with the success in athletics, the Butzlers have made academics the top priority for Emma and the rest of their children.

Kelly, her mother, would spend two hours a night teaching Emma chemistry during her sophomore year.

Tom, her father, would make sure her and her siblings were up to date on news by sending articles in a family chat, and regularly scheduling family meetings.

And those are just a few examples.

“I would say my relationship with my parents is very close and I owe almost all of my success to them and what they have taught me in and out of the pool through the years,” said Emma Butzler. “I will miss them always being with me next year when my first college swim season rolls around.”

Athletic talent, intelligence, work ethic, focus, ambition, aspirations, good-natured, humble, memories, a winner, and has parents that are obvious candidates for ‘Parents of the Year’.

Emma Butzler clearly has all of the tools to be successful in whatever she chooses to do in life, inside or outside of the pool.

Competition, be wary. She’s steamrolling.

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