Tim was born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine before moving to Brooklyn at the age of nine. He was taught how to swim—and just as importantly, how to enjoy it—shortly after by OLPH Saint Andrews in Brooklyn. This laid the foundation for a natural love of the water and eventually led him to competitive swimming. At Fort Hamilton High School he joined the Tiger Sharks and became the swim team captain. Tim became a lifeguard right after he turned fifteen, and by sixteen he was working for the Prospect Park YMCA as a teacher and water safety instructor. He then went on to work as a lifeguard for the city at Coney Island beach, and also in Park Slope. Tim worked as a personal trainer in a physical therapy studio while he was a student at Brooklyn College and also as a swim instructor at the Brooklyn Sports Club. Tim loves working with kids and showing them how to enjoy the water safely.