provided by Justin Jung
Having swam for eight years, senior Justin Jung continues to pursue his passion for the sport. He believes that his competitors fuel his drive to pursue his passion.
Wingspan: How long have you been swimming and what inspired you to do so?
Jung: “I’ve been swimming ever since fourth grade so for about 8 years. I think the reason why I’m still in swimming is the awesome people I get to swim by every morning and evening.”
Wingspan: What fuels your passion to continue to pursue swimming?
Jung: “I think it’s my competitors that keeps me in swimming. Striving to be the best and swim the fastest continues to challenge me day in and day out.”
Wingspan: What do you enjoy the most about the sport?
Jung: “I think the best part about the sport is that it doesn’t require you to be born tall or muscular, such as football or soccer. As a swimmer, to become fast it all starts with technique and stroke efficiency so a short kid has the possibility to win over a big, tall kid.”
Wingspan: What is something that you want to improve on?
Jung: “I wanna improve on our team spirit. Not only in swimming, but as a school. We’re always worried about losing and we never get to cheer on our team on.”
Wingspan: What do you do you prepare for meets?
Jung: “Usually for big meets, I would do something called a taper which is more intense, but lower yardage. We usually do around 6-7 thousand yards a day, but we can get down to around 3-4 thousand by the meet. Usually, I carb load beforehand and I hydrate a lot. I put on compression pants on the night before the meet to enhance blood circulation and I get a good night’s sleep to wake up and prepare for my meet.”
Wingspan: What hypes you up or motivates you before a meet?
Jung: “I enjoy listening to rap before getting up on the block. I also look at the goal time I’m aiming for to give me some motivation for my race.”