MERRILL, Wis. — Amber Winter has been swimming in the same pool at Merrill Elementary since she was 8-years-old.
“I love to swim. Swimming puts me in a good mood. When I’m done, I get happy and proud of myself after a hard practice, and I know I pushed myself to my ultimate max,” said Amber Winter.
Amber Winter’s mother, Kristie Winter, is her swim coach and watched her daughter make 13 appearances at State throughout her decorated athletic career.
Amber Winter’s dedication paid off as a senior, when she took home first place in the 100-meter breaststroke.
“I hit the wall, and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God I did it. Oh my goodness. I just did that.’ There were so many emotions. I was so happy. I started crying. I saw my teammates, my mom and my other coaches up there watching me, and they were all cheering,” said Winter.
Activities Director Scott Arneson witnessed the first place win. Arneson said Amber Winter sets a high standard for three-sport-athletes.
“She’s the type of individual that coaches want on their team,” explained Arneson. “You don’t have to worry about telling them to show up at practice. You don’t have to worry about telling them to work hard. You don’t have to tell them to get good grades. She’s already doing all those things.”
Amber Winter swims for at least two hours every day. But in May, the pool gets drained, and she finds herself on land, throwing the shot put and discus for the track team.
Not to mention, Amber Winter has also taken up figure skating.
“Skating is more my artistic side. I like to feel free on the ice. I like to move to the music. It’s like my break. I get to go take a break and go have some fun,” said Amber Winter.
Even with a busy sports schedule, Amber Winter takes AP classes and keeps her GPA above a 3.8. She’s dedicated. While out of town at a swim meet, she still attended her math class remotely.
“Most kids would be glad to have the day off and take advantage of that, but she wanted to stay up with what we were doing in class. She participated from there. She spoke, even in a Zoom meeting, which kids don’t do,” said Shawn Schultz, her math teacher.
Amber Winter showcases her leadership and academic skill set as the DECA president. DECA is her school’s business club.
“Amber helps other students become the best that they can be. She leads activities. She helps organize activities, and she helps students understand the importance of community service,” said Olivia Dachel, DECA advisor and business and computer science teacher.
Amber Winter enjoys math, computer science and solving problems. Last year, the National Centers for Women in Technology recognized her for Aspirations in Computing.
“She really makes an effort to be a positive mentor and attract young women into the field, [supporting] girls in coding, women in computer science and women in technology,” said Dachel.
Next year, Amber Winter will swim for University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and study elementary education. It’s no surprise. She already teaches youth swim and skating lessons, while tutoring high school students in math and science.
She said she hopes to mold the community she loves. She said her goal is to return to Merrill as a teacher and to help coach the swim team alongside her mom.