Athlete of the Week: Longmeadow Swimmer Jerrica Li Longmeadow, MA (WGGB)—–“You are always in the pool,” said Longmeadow Junior Jerrica LI. “You live and breathe chlorine. You are working as hard as you can and you form a special bond because every time when you swim you are giving a little piece of yourself.” From the outside looking in Jerrica Li looks like a focused and trained athlete. While that is certainly true, Jerrica’s mentality of team-first training has helped propel her and her fellow Lancers to win after win so far this swimming season. “It is all inside your mind. Swimming is a very mental sport. So when you have people around to support you. You are a better swimmer and you’re a better athlete.” After winning four state titles in her first two seasons on the team, Jerrica has embraced her role this season as a leader for the younger swimmers. “You just have to get out of your own way and you just have to swim. I push them like they’re not freshman. In the pool they are my training partners. They are everything that I need. I don’t think of them as people I need to coddle or people that are babies. They are just as experienced as I am. In the water it doesn’t matter how many years you have been swimming. It’s the maturity.” Despite the pressure of living up to her family’s legacy in the pool, Jerrica has come to realize that her success in the water comes from within. “It all has to come from your will to train every single day and not have an off day. I always say this is going to be worth it in the end and I am training for something bigger. I don’t swim because my sister does, my brother did, and my mom wants me to. I swim because it’s rewarding and i’m working towards a goal. I’m disciplined and I have a team to fall back on that are my best friends. In that way it’s really my choice every single day to come and lead my lane and push these kids.”
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 00:30:17 +0000
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