Brittany Simmons swims the breaststroke at the H.W. Pearce Memorial Park pool. Until this summer she had never swam. (SA photo by Evan Carden) Although she was a star on the basketball court for McIntosh High School, Brittany Simmons still had one athletic challenge to conquer in order to attend college at Columbia University in New York.

Simmons, 18, who is the daughter of Daisy and Henry Simmons Sr. of McIntosh, had never learned to swim, and probably never would have had it not been for a requiremen to play basketball at Columbia. The team practices near a pool, therefore all players must also be swimmers. "We will also be required to participate on the swim team before we graduate," she said. "I originally didn't plan to go to college in New York, but I visited and loved it. I have already been assigned my jersey (No. 3), so I didn't have much of a choice about learning to swim."

Simmons played varsity basketball at McIntosh from grade 7-12 and shined on the court. She said she was not ready to give up playing. "I love the game and wanted to play college ball," she added.

Still undecided on what her major will be, Simmons said she is torn between the medical profession or following in her family's footsteps and becoming an educator.

Simmons' swimming instructors were Blair Hundley and Carley Watson.