Junior Jed Jones swims on and off campus as he works toward his goal of being an Olympic swimmer.
At a Glance
Height: 6’3”
Team: Metroplex Aquatics and Lovejoy High School
Goal: 2024 Olympics
Favorite Stroke: Backstroke
Swimming experience: Ten years
Looking Deeper
The Red Ledger: How did you get into swimming?
Jed Jones: My older sister Raime swims. She just started swimming about the same age that I did (age six), and my parents just said, “why don’t we just try it out for you too?” I tried it out. I loved it, and now I’ve just been doing it ever since.”
TRL: Why do you like swimming?
JJ: I don’t know. I just feel like I like the water. It’s complicated, but I love the connections it gives you too because you make a lot of great friends. I also like how there’s a mix of individual and team events. I like having to perform personally and being able to improve myself instead of having to improve as an entire team, but improving as an entire team is also great.
TRL: What’s your best time and in what stroke?
JJ: Definitely that 428.20 in the 400 IM. That happened over the summer in California at summer juniors. I ended up getting 12th place there just for all 18 and unders all across the country.
TRL: What is your pre-meet routine?
JJ: Before a meet, I usually go out to eat some pho. It’s some sort of Japanese noodle thing. It’s just a routine that I do.
TRL: What is the hardest part about being a swimmer?
JJ: The training is deadly. I have to swim for two hours per practice and twice a day during weekdays. In the morning I’ll train for two hours with Lovejoy, and in the afternoon I’ll train for two hours with metro, and sometimes I’ll have an hour of weights in the afternoon. Over the weekend, I have a three-hour practice on Saturday.”
TRL: How do you overcome and stay focused with all the training you do?
JJ: As of now It’s really hard to keep up with homework and stuff, but you get into a routine, which is important to do at the beginning of the school year. Otherwise, you can’t get your work done, so it really helps with time management.
TRL: What sacrifices have you made for swim?
JJ: A lot of the time I have to cancel on people because of practice which is rough. My Friday nights are never open, and even for national select camp, I had to miss Homecoming. In order to be great like I hope I can become, you have to make a lot of sacrifices, especially socially.
TRL: What do your family and friends do to support you?
JJ: My mom drives me everywhere because I still don’t have my license. I just don’t have time to practice driving. All of my friends understand what I like to do, so they respect that I have to go to practice on [certain] days, and they know I don’t have time to hang out with them. They don’t take it personally, but take it more like “he’s serious about his thing.” I’m thankful for that.
TRL: What are you doing extra to train for your future goals?
JJ: It’s all the little stuff. Staying after practice like an extra 30 minutes to work on turns or starts.
TRL: What is your best accomplishment?
JJ: Over the summer I was accepted into a national select camp which was a lot of fun. The program selects a bunch of kids from who place top three in the country for your event or top six your class. It was held in the Olympic training center in Colorado, and I was selected for my 400 IM (individual medley) time of 4:28.20.
