Issue #8 2021 TMEC NEWS July 6 2021 Senior Interview Edition 2021 Senior Reflections

Ethan Kosmal (CSULA)

1. How long have you been ? At what age did you start? I have been swimming for 8 years competitively now (all of which have been on TMEC) and I started swimming when I was about 6 years old. 2. Why did you choose swimming or did swimming choose you? I would say Swimming was a combination of me choosing it as well as Swimming choosing me, it all started when my mom took me out to try it when I was 10 years old. I still remember till this day after try-outs that I absolutely did not want to come back whatsoever and was terrified at the fact that I would do this hours on end but something kept pulling me back into it ever since that day and I can’t be thankful enough for it because I have met so many people that have influenced my life. a. Did you try any other sports? Why did you stick with swimming? Yes, I did try other sports before swimming. Before I have found my forte I tried a variety of sports like: Soccer, , , and even Baseball. 3. Think back to swim school, was there a stroke that gave you the most difficulty? Any that you had to do more than one cycle? Back when I was in swim school the stroke that gave me the most difficulty at first was Breaststroke, although I did not have to repeat the class I had a really hard time figuring out the kick and the timing of the arms. And ironic as it sounds that is now my favorite stroke! 4. Tell about a time when swimming was very difficult. Was there a particular time in your career that you struggled the most? Why? I would say over the years of my swim career the time in which swimming was most difficult would have to be my Sophomore year though my Senior year of high school. Although there were a couple breakthroughs here and there I was always stuck on my two events that I excelled the most in, the 100 fly and 100 breaststroke. I would say the reason behind struggling between those events was due to mental obstacles I’ve had to overcome. a. Think about if you were talking to a younger swimmer that is struggling right now, what would your advice be to them? I would say, don’t give up no matter how long it takes you. Pain is only temporary and you are the only one that can dictate how hard you want it to be, you only got one life so live it and keep going to practice everyday. I know there will be countless practices and competitions that you don’t want to go to but just remember that you can overcome anything if you put your mind to it. 5. Can you remember your first meet? How did you feel the first time you went to the blocks? Could you dive off the blocks?

TMEC Newsletter 1 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021

Wow that is sure a throwback, I do remember my first swim meet! I remember it being a “Blue, Black, White Home Meet” at the CRC and I was on the blue team for that year. I also remember my first event being the 50 Freestyle and being super nervous stepping up onto the blocks, I was actually so nervous that I false started and belly-flopped! I was so embarrassed but I knew that it would only make me better in the long run knowing what to improve on. 6. List any awards/honor you have both in the pool and academically. In the Pool (on TMEC and High School): IMR Award (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020),IMX Award (2020), TMEC Championship Team (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), TMEC Record Breaker (2015-2016: 13-14 400 IM Relay, 2016-2017: SC; 13-14 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay,400 Medley Relay, LC; 13-14 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 200 IM Relay, 200 Free Relay) Varsity Letter (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), Varsity Boy’s Most Inspirational Player (2019), Varsity Boy’s Teamwork Award (2021) Academic: Honor Roll (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), Temecula Valley Unified School District Certificate of Recognition: Career Technical Education Excellence and Outstanding Achievement in CTE (2021) 7. What was the best time in swimming with TMEC? Not with TMEC (If any)? Was there a particular time in your career that you will never forget? Why? The best time in swimming with TMEC for me in my career that I will never forget would have to be when I got my first Sectional time-which was in the 100 Breaststroke-and I got to swim with some of my best friends. I would say this would be my favorite time of my career because prior to that I hit a stump and I wasn’t dropping in that event for the longest time. a. Again, think about if you were talking to a younger swimmer and what you would want them to take away from the conversation as a personal success? I would say don’t stop, I know it will hurt and the pathway to get there will not be “sunshine and rainbows” but you must persevere. It is when you are at your darkest hour when you will find your way to success, just make sure to take one step at a time and put one foot in front of the other. Keep your chin up high and don’t let anyone tell you “you aren’t able to do it”. 8. Who are the people that you would like to thank? People that were essential to your success – people that if it wasn’t for them, you would not be the person (swimmer) you are today. I would like to thank my Parents, Coaching Staff, and especially my teammates (particularly you guys from Senior 1 and 2). I would honestly not be where I am today without all of your help and support, I love you all with all of my heart and I am going to miss you all so much once I go to college. There is truly nothing better than you group of individuals that I have swam for/with, although we may have had our bumps in the road it has always worked out in the end. I can talk all day about each and every one of you and there would never be a dull moment, you all will forever be a family to me and I am so excited to see you guys again over my breaks. 9. Do you plan on to continue to swim in college? After college? Yes I do plan to swim in college, although my college does not have a swim team there are teams in the area that attend college meets that I will go to. On the other hand, after college I would also like to but I will see where my life takes me.

10. What college are you going to? Why did you choose that college? This fall I will be attending Cal State University Los Angeles. CSULA was a fit for me because it was top 5 for the major I was looking at as well as things that I enjoy doing like Swimming, climbing, etc. It also included an environment that suited me. a. What is your major going to be? I will be majoring in Nursing at CSULA to get my Bachelors degree and my RN License. 11. What are your life goals? Career? Family? Etc.? My life goals after college are to become an ER or ICU Nurse and in hopes to one day become a Travel Nurse or Nurse Practitioner. I would also like to pursue my passion in swimming, doing the sport and/or maybe becoming a Clinician or a swim coach helping athletes.

TMEC Newsletter 2

Allison Parra (13) – swam personal bests and made finals in the Girls 13&O 200 Meter Free, 200 Meter Breast (3rd place), 200 Meter IM, and 100 Meter Breast. She also swam a personal best in the 100 Meter Free. Allison earned 36 points for TMEC. Mikaela Pison (12) – swam a personal best in the Girls 11-12 50 Meter Back. She earned 5 points for TMEC. Mason Richardson (8) – swam personal bests in the Boys 5-8 100 Meter Free (2nd place) and in the 50 Meter Fly. He earned 31 points for TMEC. Kaleb Richmond (9) – swam personal bests in the Boys 7-10 100 Meter Free, 50 Meter Breast, 50 Meter Back, and 50 Meter Free. He earned his first 3 Junior Olympic Times. He also earned 30 points for TMEC. Kaylee Richmond (7) – swam personal bests in the Girls 5-8 100 Meter Free (3rd place), 50 Meter Fly, 50 Meter Back and 50 Meter Free. Kaylee was a part of the Girls 5-8 Relay team that not only won both their races, they broke and set TMEC Team records in the 200 Free Relay (previously set in 2012) and 200 Medley Relay (new record). She earned 58 points for TMEC. Drew Schermerhorn (9) – swam personal bests in the Boys 7-10 100 Meter Free, 100 Meter Back, 200 Meter Free, 50 Meter Back, and 50 Meter Free. He earned 14 points for TMEC. Liam Schermerhorn (7) - swam a personal best in the Boys 5-8 50 Meter Free. He earned 55 points for TMEC. Addison Schneider (8) - swam a personal best and was the Eastern Committee Champion in the Girls 5-8 100 Meter Free. She also swam personal bests in the 50 Meter Breast, 50 Meter Back, and 50 Meter Free (3rd place). Addison was a part of the Girls 5-8 Relay team that not only won both their races, they broke and set TMEC Team records in the 200 Free Relay (previously set in 2012) and 200 Medley Relay (new record). She earned 63 points for TMEC. Benjamin Sullivan-Douglass (12) – swam a personal best in the Boys 11-12 100 Meter Free. Aryanah Tellez (13) – swam personal bests in the Girls 13&O 200 Meter Free, 50 Meter Free, 100 Meter Back, 100 Meter Breast, and 400 Meter Free. She earned 11 Points for TMEC. Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021

TMEC Newsletter 3 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021

Lilly Hartwell (University of Sioux)

1. How long have you been swimming? At what age did you start? I have been swimming for about 12 years. I swam with Mesa Aquatics for 10 years and Tmec Aquatics for almost 2. I started swimming when I was six years old. 2. Why did you choose swimming or did swimming choose you? My mother was a swimmer when she was young so she’s always wanted to sign my brothers and I up for swimming when we were young, so when my brothers were done playing baseball and I didn’t like soccer or dance they finally signed us up. So, In a way swimming chose me but I stayed with it and my family and I are just a bunch of water rats.

a. Did you try any other sports? Why did you stick with swimming? I did dance when I was very little and I tried soccer, but quit after one week because I thought all the other kids were picking on me even though I was probably just in denial. My brothers started swimming so I joined as well and that’s partly the reason why I stuck with it along with my mom also being a swimmer in her youth. Swimming just clicked and I do wish I had the chance to experience other sports growing up but I probably wouldn’t be as fast as I am now if I did. 3. Think back to swim school, was there a stroke that gave you the most difficulty? Any that you had to do more than one cycle? I don’t remember a lot about stroke school other than one memory of being in an indoor pool swimming around with a bunch pool toys, but I don’t remember learning the strokes other than butterfly. I remember learning butterfly because I was late to my practice one day, so my coach let me join my Adam, my brother’s practice where I got to learn fly for the first time. After that day, I got moved up to his group and it kind of just came naturally. 4. Tell about a time when swimming was very difficult. Was there a particular time in your career that you struggled the most? Why? Sadly, I've always had a love-hate relationship with swimming maybe due to the fact that its all I've ever known and I never got to experience a different sport, but at the same time I don’t think I can imagine myself doing anything else. It was very hard to stay motivated when I was experiencing a lot of back problems for about a year barely being in the water swimming and losing my drive and passion for the sport. I got lazy and was more focused on being social then getting better, but I think being able to take a break because of covid really helped. I was able to start exercising in other ways other than in a pool, so for a time I considered not going back to swimming.

TMEC Newsletter 4 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021

However, I think that hesitation was mostly out of fear that my back was going to go straight back to being in pain. With some convincing from my family, I did go back and it felt great being on the same level as everyone starting from level 1 again and starting from the basics. I’m glad I decided to go back. a. Think about if you were talking to a younger swimmer that is struggling right now, what would your advice be to them? My advice to a younger swimmer who is struggling would be to first find out why they are struggling, what's the source of their turmoil and to then find a way to deal with it. For example, when I was having a hard time with my feelings toward swimming, I found that writing it down in a book helped me get my thoughts jotted down instead of swarming in my head. Maybe listening to music, meditating, talking with someone, anything to find a way to let your mind relax. My advice is to find an escape and relax because sometimes your mind and body need a break. And I mean this without skipping practice. 5. Can you remember your first meet? How did you feel the first time you went to the blocks? Could you dive off the blocks? My first meet was at Great Oak high school where swam the 25 backstroke and 25 free and received red times after just being on Mesa for three weeks. I don’t personally remember that meet but seeing the pictures of me brings back sentimental feelings. I didn’t dive off the blocks, I dove off the side since it was a 25 and I’m sure I probably looked horrendous doing it. 6. List any awards/honor you have both in the pool and academically. The years 2012- 2020 I have made the JO team and 2013-2014 I made super JOs. In 2016, I was awarded most improved swimmer and I made the Top 16 list for the 200 fly. In 2017, I was awarded the committed swimmer award. I made honor roll through middle school and I was a scholar athlete through high school. I made senior captain on my high school swim team where the girls' team 2020-2021 won league. 7. What was the best time in swimming with TMEC? Not with TMEC (If any)? Was there a particular time in your career that you will never forget? Why? My first and only sectionals, I made the 400 free relay where I swam with Marja, Katelyn, and Kristina and I was definitely the slowest one and we came in last but they never put me at fault and encouraged me no matter what my time was. It felt amazing swimming with those girls before they graduated. There isn’t one specific moment on Tmec that is the most memberable other than our practices where we goof off, Emma and I sing along to songs very annoyingly I might add, the boys argue with Reynolds and themselves over who’s faster, and seeing Reynolds laugh until he’s lying on the floor. a. Again, think about if you were talking to a younger swimmer and what you would want them to take away from the conversation as a personal success? My advice to any younger swimmer would be to keep fighting. Keep fighting to stay ahead during practice, keep fighting during a race to win, and keep fighting to be the best you can be. Take one day at a time and keep loving the sport you are doing. 8. Who are the people that you would like to thank? People that were essential to your success – people that if it wasn’t for them, you would not be the person (swimmer) you are today. I want to thank my parents for always being there for me, encouraging me, challenging me, and motivating me every chance they get. I especially want to thank them for supporting me through my decision in which college I wanted to go to. I love them with everything. I want to thank my past coaches some being Coach Adrian, Coach Alex, Coach Kim, Coach Jenn, and Coach James. I want to thank Coach Reynolds for putting up with my dancing, my weird self, and my stubbornness and for always helping me through the hard times. I want to thank all the friends and people I have met through Mesa and Tmec and for giving me the best memories and laughs that I’ll never forget. 9. Do you plan to continue to swim in college? After college? I am swimming with the University of Sioux Falls located in South Dakota for hopefully the next four years.

10. What college are you going to? Why did you choose that college?

TMEC Newsletter 5 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021 I chose to attend the University of Sioux Falls because my first phone call with the coach was very exciting and he was super passionate about what he is doing for the school and the girls on the team. When visiting the school and meeting with the girls from the swim team, they were all super nice and made me feel very welcome and that I belonged to be a part of their team. The school has a very good nursing program which I’m hoping to pursue. a. What is your major going to be? I think I’m going to major in nursing but nothing is final yet. 11. What are your life goals? Career? Family? Etc.? Its really hard to answer this question since I’m only 17 years old traveling to the other side of the country to live away for my family for the first time for the next four years and I have no clue what I’m doing and I don’t know how it's going to be but I’m excited to start this new beginning. My life goals for right now are to enjoy it while it lasts because I had no idea how fast my high school experience was going to be up until I moved that tassel to the other side of my cap showing that I graduated.

TMEC Newsletter 6 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021 Cooper Rivers (Adelphi University in New York)

1. How long have you been swimming? At what age did you start? I have been swimming for the past 11 years. Meaning that I started swimming at the age of 7. 2. Why did you choose swimming or did swimming choose you? I chose swimming once my family decided that we no longer wanted to participate in soccer. My parents asked my siblings and I what sport we would like to play and I said swimming since I enjoyed swimming so much at the time. a. Did you try any other sports? Why did you stick with swimming? I played a little bit of soccer before we started swimming and I joined the high school team my freshman year. I stuck around with swim because I found that this was a sport that I increasingly got better in. I saw that the hard work that I put in the water really did pay off when a meet came around. I also stuck around because of the fantastic friends I have made over the years who have help sculpt me into the person I am today.

3. Think back to swim school, was there a stroke that gave you the most difficulty? Any that you had to do more than one cycle? For just about all of my swim career I have had the most trouble with breaststroke. This stroke is something that I never quite understood. However, back in swim school, I think it’s safe to say that just about every kid hated butterfly because it was extremely difficult.

4. Tell about a time when swimming was very difficult. Was there a particular time in your career that you struggled the most? Why? I think the past couple years have been the most challenging years of my swim career. As I progress in dropping time, I am finding it more difficult to reach the goals that I set for myself. Over the years dropping time in every race at every meet was a goal that I had, I still somewhat have this goal, but I have to be realistic, sometimes you have to have a bad race to tell you that you need to work on something or that you need to work harder. Not only that but I found it very hard to stay motivated during this pandemic. All the rules and regulations set during the quarantine, and immediately following the shut down made me feel disconnected from my friends who, through their social interaction, pushed me to do better and make me enjoy practices more. a. Think about if you were talking to a younger swimmer that is struggling right now, what would your advice be to them? To any young swimmer who is struggling right now I would tell them to push through the pain, the disbelief, or whatever else it may be, the benefits that you achieve at the end of it all are worth it.

5. Can you remember your first meet? How did you feel the first time you went to the blocks? Could you dive off the blocks? Personally, I am not able to remember my first swim meet. But knowing the child that I once was, I think I was very nervous about my first race. I was probably overthinking the whole thing, telling myself either “these kids are probably so much faster than me” or “they have probably been swimming for longer than I have”. Dives have never been that difficult of a task for me, so I am fairly confident that I was able to dive at my first meet.

TMEC Newsletter 7 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021 6. List any awards/honor you have both in the pool and academically. In swim, I have qualified for both sectionals and futures, as well as the 2020 18 and Under Winter Championship meet and Division 2 CIF. I have been awarded medals, plaques, and trophies, from both high school and club, for placing well at a swim meet, being the most improved swimmer, the MVP of the team, or just for simply participating in the sport. I also broke a total of 6 of my high school’s swim records: in the 200 free I went 1:43.05, in the 200 IM I went a 1:54.42, in the 50 free I went a 21.41, in the 100 free I went a 47.10, in the 100 back I went a 52.90, and finally, in the

100 breaststroke I went a 58.95. All of which have led to having my lettermans jacket completely full of patches. Academically, I have achieved the honor roll award for the past 8 semesters and ended with a cumulative GPA of a 3.87.

7. What was the best time in swimming with TMEC? Not with TMEC (If any)? Was there a particular time in your career that you will never forget? Why? I think the best time swimming with TMEC was either when I first joined the team and started to get to know everybody, or when we went to far off places to go to a swim meet, such as the travel trip to Auburn. a. Again, think about if you were talking to a younger swimmer and what you would want them to take away from the conversation as a personal success? The thing that I would want you swimmers to take away from swim are the life lessons that you can learn from swimming. There are a lot to learn, and everyone learns a different thing in a different way, the things that I feel are the most important life lessons I have learned are time management, social skills, and that the only person who can truly bring you down is yourself. 8. Who are the people that you would like to thank? People that were essential to your success – people that if it wasn’t for them, you would not be the person (swimmer) you are today. The people that I would like to thank are of course my family, they have been helping me and supporting through every obstacle that comes my way. I especially want to thank my mom. She has driven me to do the absolute best that I can at every meet no matter what meet that may be and made me go to practice whenever I really didn’t want to, which helped me with my work ethic. I would also like to thank all the friends that I have made throughout the years who have helped me be the overall positive, competitive person that I believe myself to be.

9. Do you plan on to continue to swim in college? After college? I do plan on swimming in college, and if permitted, I would love to continue to swim and maybe play water polo once I am done with college, a. If not, what are your plans in college? What is your life goal?

10. What college are you going to? Why did you choose that college? I am going to be attending Adelphi University in New York. I chose this college because it’s a new adventure for me, a fresh start, plus it has a major that I was looking for, and made me an amazing offer.

a. What is your major going to be? My major is going to be health sciences.

11. What are your life goals? Career? Family? Etc.? I plan on becoming a PA once I graduate from college. As far as life and a family goes, I am not entirely sure about that. I want to get done with this next milestone before I even consider those things to ensure that I don’t stress myself out too much.

TMEC Newsletter 8 Issue #8 2021 Allison Parra (UC Berkley) July 6 2021

Hi, my name is Allison Parra. I have been swimming since 3rd grade, so about 10 years now, and all of those years have been here at TMEC. I started doing swim lessons from a young age and always enjoyed the water. I have tried , soccer, and tennis, but ultimately it came down to swim because it was the one I enjoyed the most. I like the individuality aspect and the friends I made.

Going back to stroke school, I remember struggling a lot with butterfly. If you know me, you know that is my least favorite stroke and I’ve been trying to get it right for many years. I was so mad when I was little because instead of moving up I had to go through the butterfly group cycle again. My timing on butterfly has always been wrong and I found out a while ago that I was missing a whole kick. I have been working on it recently and it has gotten better.

Throughout these many years I can think of a lot of difficult times in my swim career. From not dropping time in months to not being able to complete sets or make the intervals. There have also been mental blocks I have had to overcome. The struggles are what helped me get better and become stronger. There are always going to be hard times and good times. There are times when you need to just push through and get it done. If you work hard and try, it will benefit you in the end. I never said that you had to be fast or the best one, but as long as you’re trying and have a positive attitude, you can get through the hard times.

As we all know, meets can be nerve wracking. I remember my very first meet. It was at CRC and it was a mock meet. It was held at night and I recall being really cold and nervous. I remember the suit I was wearing and diving off those small blocks trying the best that I could. It was a great first experience.

Some awards I have received at school include principal’s honor roll, student of the month, award of excellence, coach’s award for high school swim season, 4.0 scholar, AVID award, and AP Capstone recognition.

If I had to pick one best season, it would be this one. I have been able to drop time in the 500 free and 200 IM, and fix my technique for my butterfly. After quarantine and all that time away from the pool I became more motivated and excited to come back and get better. Having a new coach and interacting with teammates made it enjoyable. It was also great that I was able to swim one more high school season and finally make CIF. It was such an exciting way to end my swim career.

I would like to thank my parents. They are the most influential people in my life and have supported me throughout every single moment. I want to thank them for paying for swim for so many years, for all of my expensive suits, for all my gear, and for all the food I have eaten. I would also like to thank coach Reynolds, Jenn, and Alex. Jenn, you have known me forever and have always believed in me and been there for me. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into us and into the team. Coach Reynolds, you have made me want to cry a couple times with the sets you’ve given us, but you have taught me the most important thing in life. That you need to be uncomfortable to get better. And Alex, I haven’t had you for too long, but your group has been really fun and motivating. You all have played an influential role in TMEC Newsletter who I am today. 9 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021 As for the future, I will take a break from swim this summer and then probably join the club swim team at my college to stay in shape. In the fall, I will be attending UC Berkeley and majoring in environmental, economics, and policy. It has always been my dream school and one of the only schools with this specific major.

Life goals. I have no idea! Get my degree, travel a lot, get a job that can create a positive impact, and have a family sometime after that. I do know that I will always be swimming somewhere. TMEC has made me who I am today and I am forever grateful for all the time I have spent here.

TMEC Newsletter 10 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021 Ethan Swenke (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

I have been swimming for around 7 years now, and I began at age 11. I had originally started to swim much earlier, but I dropped it to play basketball and tennis before coming back to swimming a couple years later. I can’t remember exactly why I started swimming, but I CAN say that I stuck with it because of my teammates. Which is ironic, because club swimming is one of the least teamwork reliant sports there is. It was one of the first sports where I really felt connected with my team, both during practice and during meets. And that was the main reason I didn’t end up enjoying other sports as much - because I wasn’t really able to feel like I belonged to the team.

Early on I never exactly went to swim school, or at least I don’t remember doing so. I wasn’t on TMEC originally, and I don’t remember MESA aquatics having a swim school. I simply just learned them as I went along. But there have always been strokes that have given me difficulty, essentially every stroke has done that to me at one point or another. But every single time I buckled down and did what I had to do in order to keep improving on that stroke, which is how I believe all swimmers should look at it.

If I had to give advice to a young swimmer, I would let them know exactly that. Even the most senior level swimmers struggle with strokes, and it’s all about what you are willing to do and how much you are willing to commit yourself to be able to work on that one thing and fix it. And if there are many things, you just have to take it one at a time.

I remember my first meet very clearly - I had made a bet with my current coach at the time that I could go under 35 in the 50 free, and if I did, she would owe me candy of my choosing. I ended up going 33.9, and definitely had too much sugar in the following days. I could dive off the blocks, but I’m not sure how good I was! I was definitely a little anxious to finally swim, but I remember enjoying and embracing the feeling more and more. I hold the team record in the 100 butterfly, and I contributed to the 200 medley relay record at Murrieta Valley High School with a 50 fly time of 22.40! I’ve been a scholar athlete all throughout highschool, and went into this last semester with a GPA of 4.3, ranking me in the top 20 of my class. A few of the most memorable moments in my swim career include going 52.00 in the 100 fly, getting the 200 medley relay record and beating the MESA rams, and traveling to State for that relay in my sophomore year of high school. I have so many people to give thanks to, the list is endless.

Firstly to all of my friends and my family for supporting me all throughout these last 7 years. If it wasn’t for my brother, I would have never found the team that I grew up with in the first place, and I wouldn’t have had someone to chase so early on. Then to my teammates, all of the teammates that I’ve ever had the privilege of swimming next to and racing against. And then most notably to all of my coaches - Coach Julien, Coach Kim, Coach Alex, and Coach Adrian. But more importantly Coach Reynolds, who has taught me more about myself, life, and swimming than I thought possible. A life coach and a mentor as well as a swim coach, who has shown me how to think about things differently and to grow myself as both a TMEC Newsletter person and as a swimmer. 11 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021 I can’t count how many times I’ve related some of his lessons and talks to my own life outside of swimming, and I think that speaks to his impact on us swimmers. As of now, I don’t know whether or not I will swim in college, but I know that as long as I live I will never forget the influence it’s had and the memories it’s made and the lessons it’s taught me. I’ll be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the Fall, and I will be majoring in Computer Science. I plan to make an impact on the world in my future, whether that be through Computer Science or anything else that I happen to do. And I’ll take as many opportunities as I can in my career, because I never want to stand by thinking “what if”.

TMEC Newsletter 12 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021 Anthony Olson (MSJC)

1. I started swimming 4 years ago during my freshman year of High School when I was 14 years old 2. Coming into High School my parent told me they really wanted me to participate in a sport. I then went and tried Water Polo, although I did enjoy Water polo once Swim season came around, I found myself enjoying it much more than Water Polo. 3. I found myself having a lot of problems with Butterfly when I first started swimming, but after some working on my form, I was able to improve my Butterfly to the point to where it is now my Primary Stroke. 4. During my freshman year of high school when I had just started swimming, I was having a lot of trouble keeping up with the sets and especially a lot of trouble with flip turns. My advice to any younger swimmers would be to not get agitated when you are doing something wrong, instead take that frustration and put it towards fixing what you are doing wrong. 5. After swimming at so many meets its honestly quite hard trying to remember my first ever meet However, I do remember the feeling of having a really bad stomachache from being so nervous. 6. During my Swimming career I find that my biggest achievement would be dropping under a minute for my 100 Butterfly as I have been pushing towards it ever since I started swimming butterfly 2 years ago 7. Ill never forgot the time we had a High School meet during my freshman year, when It was only my second time swimming Butterfly at a meet and I had been the only swimmer swimming the 100 butterfly that day. I got up on the block and with me being the only one swimming in the pool the pressure was on. I ended up dropping 5 seconds from the previous time I had swam it during a meet and I was extremely happy that I was able to push through even with all the pressure on me. 8. I would really like to thank not only my parents for pushing me to join a sport in High School, but I’d Like to thank Coach Jenn and Coach Alex for helping me push me out of my comfort zone for Butterfly and being such great coaches. 9. I do plan on Continuing to swim throughout college and most likely even after college as I have found it’s a great way of exercising. 10. I am going to enroll in MSJC Community College as I am not quite sure what I would like to Major in. I have also considered that doing 2 years of Community College and getting all my Pre Req’s out of the way will help me save money. Doing all that while keeping up with swimming might help me get at least a partial scholarship to transfer to another college. 11. My Biggest Life Goal would be to ensure that my family wont ever have to worry about anything and to make sure that they can pursue the lives they want to live.

TMEC Newsletter 13 Issue #8 2021 July 6 2021

TMEC Newsletter 14