Credit to Eashaan Patel

Junior Riley Jensen practices her dive form during practice Nov. 18.

Riley Jensen, a junior swimmer at FHN, stands at the edge of the pool for state competition. The parents, coaches, teammates, and other friends fill the atmosphere with loud cheering and last-moment advice. Moments before the race starts, everything slows down. Filled with adrenaline, Jensen has to trust the work she has put in during practices and with her coaches that she is capable of what it takes to succeed at state. Seconds are passing by, the only thing she’s looking out for now is the officials and the buzzer. She’s ready to go.

“I was pretty nervous so I didn’t do as well as I thought, that’s why I’m hoping to go back this year,” Jensen said.

Coach Rowan Pugh, on the flip side, believes Jensen did a great job.

“After state last year, we kind of talked to her, she wasn’t feeling the best about her performance but we talked to her and kind of set some goals for next season,” Pugh said. “I think Riley’s performance was great. That was her first time ever going to state, she came in at 32 and came out at 32 but she had a great swim. She really got the experience of state, so now when we go, she can have that first-time jitters under her belt.”

One takeaway that Jensen had from state was the different levels of competitiveness through the pool and how badly everyone wants to win, as well as how different state meets are from regular meets.

“After state last year, we kind of talked to her, she wasn’t feeling the best about her performance but we talked to her and kind of set some goals for next season,” Pugh said.

“I saw a lot of the other girls around me and they seemed really prepared like they’ve been there before and that made me really nervous, also it was a very long competition even though I was one of the last events, I had to stay the entire time so I was really tired,” Jensen said.

Pugh and Jensen’s connection is a big reason why Jensen is always so motivated.

“The head swimming coach, we’ve known each other since I was eight,” Jensen said. “She’s really helped me a lot, even over the summer we have stayed in contact, and she is honestly my biggest inspiration for swimming.”

In order to achieve state success, Jensen needed to prepare both her mental mindset, as well as being in the right spot physically in order to achieve her goals.

“She really had been working the entire year on that event, so she kind of had planned out her race and knew she was gonna swim it, and I think she tackled it the way she planned, and it’s probably the goal for her,” Pugh said. Jensen doesn’t just make goals, she prepares herself to meet them.

“I did summer swim over the summer, I do that every year but this summer I focused on it a little more. I also did some lessons at Swim Theory, which is a swimming place,” Jensen said.

Jensen also uses other sports such as boxing to help give her unique advantages and allow her to exercise the same muscles that are heavily involved in swim, along with cardio.

“I’ve been cross-training with boxing a little bit and then working dry land to get our bodies right,” Jensen said.

Pugh recognizes Riley’s grit and determination to constantly improve and strive for success.

“I think for her, it doesn’t stop at state,” Pugh said. “Her goal is not [just] going to state, her goal is going to state and doing what her definition of well is because in my eyes as a coach, just going to state is crazy exceptional but she sat down and talked to us after state and was like ‘I wanna go again and I wanna get in the top placement’ so I know she can do it.”

With state experience under her belt, Jensen looks to beat all her personal times and build upon what she has already done.

“Going to state again is my biggest motivation,” Jensen said. “Also, with swimming, it’s a sport where you’re always motivated because its all about dropping time.”

“I always like to say she is silent but deadly because she is just so goal-oriented,” Pugh said. “She is so driven, she really pushes her off of other people. I think this season, we have a lot of new players that could really help push Riley in the pool too, because she wants to be the fastest in the lane. She wants to be constantly stepping up.”