Growing up, Tim Gronet had to abide by the family law.
“The rule in my house was you always had to be active,” the Hopewell Valley Central High School junior said. “Fall was football, winter and spring was basketball, and summer was swimming. Once I got into the fifth grade, I decided swimming was what I wanted to do and I became more focused.”
Did he ever.
Gronet’s focus led to the biggest moment of his high school career on Jan. 31 when he won gold medals in the 50 and 100 freestyles at the Mercer County Swimming Championships. He swam a 24.68 in the 50, beating Notre Dame’s Dave Madigan by two 100ths of a second. The two staged another war in the 100 with Gronet swimming a 53.90 to out-touch Madigan by five 100ths of a second in a come-from-behind effort.
Gronet said he felt excitement beyond belief, but his efforts lived up to his coach’s own beliefs. Vince Illuminate knew that the two races would be close, but he was confident that Gronet would pull throughl.
“Since he was a freshman, he has been in the top 12 at counties and it was just a matter of time before those fast upperclassmen graduated and Tim grew into his own,” Illuminate said. “This was his year and I believe he could do it again next year as a senior.”
It has indeed been a strong, steady climb for Gronet, who said he has no recollection of when he first jumped in the water but that “my mom is always telling me I was a little fish. She had to yell at me to get out of pool.”
In his quest for MCT gold, Gronet actually got to see his mom in the stands while he was in the middle of a race, which fired him up even more. He said that’s not the case in club swimming, when the fans are almost hidden in the bleachers.
Gronet joined the Princeton Tiger Aquatics Club as a youth and knew right away what events he did not want to do.
“You have to do them all and really narrow it down,” he said. “The first time my coach made me do a 500 freestyle, I said ‘No, this is not it. Distance is not for me.’ I don’t know how to pace myself for that kind of race. But you still have to go through them all and the older you get you narrow it down. I had to do the 500 a couple times. I tried to get out as much as I could.”
Gronet is definitely a freestyle sprinter who considers the backstroke the best of his stroke capabilities.
Whatever he swam, Illuminate was just happy to get him on the Bulldogs team as a freshman. He works at Timberlane Middle School and heard about Gronet’s success with Princeton.
“He did let me know that he was going to swim as a freshman, and I knew he was going to make an impact, but I had no idea what his full potential was,” Illuminate said. “The first time I saw him swim in a meet I knew that Tim would be a dominant force for our team. As a freshman he was our top point earner”
And it has only gotten better from there. Last year, Gronet had two top-six finishes in the MCT in the 100 free and the backstroke.
This year, due to a shoulder issue during the first part of the season, Illuminate used him in the 50 and the 100 breast. He kept him out of the 100 to preserve his longevity.
Gronet only swam the 100 once during the season and had a so-so time. Since he was not seeded in the counties, he was in slower heats and was urged by Illuminate and girls’ coach Julie Nami to push himself to get a qualifying time.
Even though everyone in his heat swam faster than their seed times, Gronet pulled through. But that’s nothing Illuminate didn’t expect.
“When you have an athlete like Tim Gronet, as a coach you always feel that he has a chance to win,” he said. “This year at counties was no different. I thought the hundred was more exciting than the fifty. Tim was trailing Madigan a little bit the entire race but he had a great third turn and the will to win took over. He found another gear and was able to just touch Madigan out for the win.”
Gronet qualified for the NJSIAA individual state meet in the 50 but opted not to go due to commitments with his club team. But that is no rap on high school swimming, as he enjoys doing both.
“It’s a joke among club swimmers that all the club coaches will tell you high school is bad,” Gronet said. “But it has to be your decision in the end. And you will either find that balance between club and high school or you’ll do just one. I’ve made that choice, I’ve found the balance. I’m able to go to school and do both. I absolutely love the change you get, that team atmosphere in high school.”
He not only loves it; he embraces it by working behind the scenes, helping out at practices and supporting his teammates.
“Tim is a vital part of our program,” Illuminate said. “With such a small team this year it took a great contribution from everyone on the team, especially our leaders like Matt Tees and Tim, to be as successful as we were. I definitely look forward to seeing what Tim will do next year.”
When he’s not competing, Gronet is actually teaching. He helps out with the Swim America program at The College of New Jersey, teaching youngsters how to swim.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “The kids are so fun to be with.”
For Gronet, it’s all a by-product of staying active.
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