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The clock never stops

Beep! Beep! Beep!

It is 5:37 a.m. Beth Jackson bounces out of bed and begins the eight-minute quest to ready herself for early swimming practice. She dresses, grabs some coffee and dashes out the door.

At 5:45 a.m., she slides into a teal Toyota Corolla and leaves theKappa Kappa Gamma sorority house on Hill Street to embark on a long, meticulously organized day which includes two practices, classes, homework and an occasional meal.

In Jackson's organized obstacle course, every second is precious. Jackson is more than just a traditional student-athlete; she is a renaissance woman.

As a student at Ursiline High School in Cincinnati Ohio, she received the highly-acclaimed Presidential Scholar award. In college, she attended the Olympic Trials and the World University Games in Japan.

Jackson has a keen awareness of time and a vivid memory. She fondly recalls the Presidential Scholar's week in Washington that she shared with 125 of the brightest minds in the country.

"You got there, and people are telling you the things they have done, and your going `How did I get there?'" said Jackson. "So many people here have done amazing things, and you can do even more. And you hear we are the lost generation."

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Jackson is chemical engineer major with a 3.4 GPA.

Unlike the stereotypical athlete who tackles elementary classes, Jackson finds herself constantly enmeshed in arduous problem sets that she simply refers to as "intense." When homework prevented her from sleeping, she reduced the number of chemical engineering courses in her schedule. Even Beth Jackson is not an iron woman.

She is taking a lighter load this year and plans on graduating in May of 1997. Recently, she has found her economics and accounting courses enjoyable, and will look to parlay the combination of an MBA and chemical engineering degree into a management position.

Michigan women's swimming and diving coach Jim Richardson has found that Jackson is an unusual student-athlete.

"She is not the typical, stereotyped athlete," Richardson said. "She is one of many athletes who are gifted intellectually and athletically.

With all of the emphasis on time, one may wonder whether Jackson truly has an opportunity to relax. She makes a point of emphasizing that the swimming is left at the pool. When she comes home, she looks forward to watching movies like "Singles" and any film with her favorite actor, Harrison Ford. "Singles" remains a sentimental favorite because it marked her first date with her boyfriend of 3 1/2 years.

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Like a chameleon, Beth Jackson plays a variety of roles and adjusts to the environment accordingly. For example, she joined the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma in order to balance her social life and recharge her battery.

At an early age, however, Jackson's decision to concentrate her time on swimming wasn't nearly as evident. She had an unusual ability to excel at number of sports.

"I never really got serious about (swimming)," Jackson said. "I was always playing tee-ball and soccer. I started getting serious about swimming when I was twelve. I had to choose between soccer and swimming. I chose swimming."

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Beth Jackson's feet tick-tock as she approaches the pooldeck in her flip-flops. She splashes into the water as she awaits the next "beep" in her life.

"Before every race, I mentally picture my swim, and what I want it to be all the way up to the time that I will see on the scoreboard," Jackson said. "When I hear `take your mark,' I am trying to clear by mind completely and listen to the beep."

Based on Jackson's success, her inner time clock seems to have been synchronized precisely to the beep that starts each race. The prodigal swimmer received a silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke at the World University Games in Sukuoka, Japan.

Richardson gave her tremendous accolades for the performance.

"It was her lifetime best swim in a pressure packed situation," Richardson said. "It's a great thing to watch an athlete go halfway across the world to compete under extremely hot conditions. It's a testimoney to her ability to focus under a situation that she couldn't control."

Although Jackson is an All-American backstroker, setbacks such as a recurrent broken wrist have temporarily shutdown her clock. In November, Jackson suffered a broken wrist. She continued to swim with a cast on, but was forced to miss the coveted North Carolina Invitational.

This was not the first time that Jackson competed through grueling pain. In January 1991, the All-American broke her wrist and struggled to keep swimming with the nagging injury right up to the Ohio state finals in March of 1991.

"When I won the high school states junior year, I had broken my wrist. I was not supposed to win. The season was very special. I did the best that I could."

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The different networks and social support have become key in Jackson's success. She gives credit to her teammates for challenging her in practice, which ultimately makes her a better swimmer.

"There is a wonderful group of backstrokers here that I've trained with, " Jackson said. "We are cheering each other on, but we are racing each other too. It is a very good combination."

"We have become very close friends," Jackson said. "When we were little, it was like every other brother and sister. We hated each other.

She has always admired her brother, and today he remains the backbone of her support system. As for her parents, she shares a truly open relationship with them and never hesitates to call them.

"I have a very close relationship with them. I can sit in Espresso Royale with my Dad and talk about everything from marriage to the stock market," says Jackson. "My friends are like, `you see your parents so much.' I can't imagine not seeing them."

As for her future, Jackson realizes the limitations of a developing a career around swimming.

"My coach here really believes that swimming isn't a sport like football where you are gonna make a million dollars. Coming here, your education is the most important thing. This year, I have backed off a little from academics."

Richardson believes her ability to blend into different environments, her great work ethic, and tremendous focus will lead to her eventual success in whatever career she pursues.

The tremendous emphasis on time management is a necessity in order to juggle all of the numerous activities that she participates in. Beth Jackson operates like clockwork as she never misses a beep.

"Mentally, you have to be bery strong. It's not an easy sport. You have to get up at 5:30 in the morning three or four mornings a week, and go to school all day, and then back again."

Beep!!! As Beth takes a glance at her watch, she realizes that it is time to move on.