Jordyn Hale '26 Recruiting Profile

If I could go back and show my elementary school self how far I've come, I don't think she would believe it. I started off my swimming journey with no intent to come as far as I did, and experiencing as much as I have. I have learned so much, and looking back at old footage of me stopping in the middle of the pool, or bouncing off the land lines really shows me how far I've come.

The day I committed to swimming was the day I struggled the most. I arrived to practice not knowing what I was in for. The words that came out of my coach's mouth when I finished my warm up, at the time sounded like knives, and I immediately shut down at the thought of doing what she said. Learning how to take a breath in freestyle.When I was younger, in order to take a breath, I stood up in the middle of the pool, took a huge inhale, and continued swimming the lap. The feat of learning to move my head to the side in the middle of a stroke, and still continuing the smooth motion of freestyle sounded impossible at the time. My brain shut down, and my whole body felt like it was going through shock. I didn’t believe I could do it. All my coach said was to swim to the other side of the pool, without stopping to take a breath. As I started my swim, all of my fear came out of me in the form of tears. My goggles were filled with water, and I continued to say words of doubt in my head. I truly believed I couldn’t do it. Suddenly, I felt my hand touch the wall. I finished a 25, without standing up to take a breath. In fact, I took a breath the proper way, and even though it may not have been the prettiest or most technical, I did it.

Ever since that moment, I have taken a new approach to learning new things. I am always open for tips on my stroke, or things I could do differently in my swims. I believe in myself, and my ability to do anything I set my mind to. I always try to do the same for my teammates whenever possible, giving them confidence as well as providing assistance. In the future I plan to continue to improve and excel academically and in the swimming world. My hopes are to just have a fun time in college, learn new things, meet new people, and continue to get better to pave the way for my future!