Getting to practice is half the battle for these 2

March 12, 2024 Andy Furman

Christine (left) and Elizabeth Bailey. Photo courtesy of the Baileys

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The daily workouts aren’t too bad – but getting to them, well that’s a completely different problem.

A problem Christine and Elizabeth Bailey have solved very nicely, thank-you. The Baileys are triplets and swim for Brooklyn College.

The only non-swimmer in the trio is the oldest — their brother Robert.

Their problem?

They live in Hicksville, New York – and, gulp, commute daily to the Brooklyn College campus on Bedford Avenue.

“We take a train, and subway,” Elizabeth, who is :30-seconds older than sister Christine, told the Eagle the other day. “We avoid parking this way, and save on gas.”

And after that hour-and-a-half daily haul, it’s full load of classes for the two – and then in the pool for a two-hour swimming practice.

“It makes for a long day,” she said, “But we love it, and manage to get some schoolwork and sleep on the way home.”

But why Brooklyn College?

“Brooklyn has a fantastic theater program,” Christine said. “And they offer the only B.A. Degree in Fine Arts and Acting.”

Money was also a concern. “It is less expensive than the Long Island schools. Only $4,000 per semester.”

Christine Bailey is just one of 14 students to be accepted to that acting program.

As for Elizabeth, she’s pursing her degree in Arts and Film. “Brooklyn has great facilities, equipment and practice room,” she added.

Swimming was just an added plus. “It’s been a long time. We knew Brooklyn had a swim team, and we’ve been swimming since we were 10 or 11 at the CYO. We missed swimming.”
Competitively, they last swam for St. Dominic’s High School in the Fall of 2016.

Don’t let the time-off fool you. Elizabeth set her high school record in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:16.20).

The girls were ready -for college — in the classroom and the in the pool. In fact, Elizabeth proudly says they both earned all A’s last semester.

But as for swimming, it took just a little courage – and a big push from the older sister.

Elizabeth made the first move. “But I wanted Christine to join the team with me,” she said.”

“We’re doing it for the fun, and really we got back into it fairly quickly,” Christine said. “And we’ve made so many new friends.”

They didn’t waste much time, either.

Swimming in their first meet of the year, in early January, Brooklyn rolled to a 112-64 conference win at Lehman College.

Elizabeth and Christine Bailey took first and second respectively in the 200 freestyle, earning the Bulldogs 13 points.

The girls are listed as freshmen – “Technically we’re sophomores,” said Elizabeth, who has earned an AA Degree in Acting at Nassau Community College, before transferring to Brooklyn last Fall with sister.

“We both plan to be actors; perhaps off-Broadway,” Elizabeth said. “We’ve both done some Regional Theater. And, in the summer I work as a lifeguard at Cold Spring Country Club in Huntington.”

Their hard work has seemed to reap rewards.

In the Metro Championships at Rutgers, Christine dropped some :19 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke, and :15 seconds in the 200 event from the start of the season.

As for Elizabeth, she dropped :03-seconds in the 100-yard breastroke and :02-seconds in the 200-yard event.

So, who’s the faster swimmer?

“Elizabeth,” says Christine, “Because she has a better dive than me; and also enjoys swimming more than I do.”

That hard work makes for a long day. “Practice is from 4-6 pm,” Christine said, “And we get home around 8 pm.”

But when asked what actually is the hardest part of their school day – they both chimed in:

“Getting up in the morning.”

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: andyf@brooklyneagl;e.com Twitter: @AndyFurmanFSR