Senior Hannah Jimenez first started swimming on the Shadow Ridge Swim and Dive team her freshman year. She had never swum competitively before, but her parents told her that she had to choose a sport, so Jimenez decided to join the swim team. 

“My parents said that I had to do a sport my freshman year. My dad’s one of the cross country coaches and he was going to make me do that, but I absolutely hate running so I chose the first sport I could think of that was the exact opposite,” said Jimenez.

Since she had never swum competitively before joining the team, Jimenez said that she could barely swim any other stoke but freestyle. She likes to recollect to new swimmers how the first meet she was ever swimming in, coach had her swim a 500-yard freestyle (the longest high school race). 

“I like to tell all the freshman how the very first meet that I ever swam in the coached put me in the 500 and I thought I was going to die because I had never swam that far before,” Jimenez explained.

Jimenez has enjoyed being on the swim team because she is able to feel more connected to Shadow Ridge and loves to represent the school. She has made the team her family and loves how supportive and welcoming everyone is. No matter what type of day she is having, Jimenez says that the team’s positive energy will always make her feel better. Jimenez appreciates how even though swim is largely a personal sport, nobody ever swims alone because someone is always there to cheer for them.

“My favorite thing about being on the team is that everyone loves each other and is so supportive of each other,” Jimenez explains. “Not one race goes by without someone cheering for our people and we’re all friends, nobody cares how fast or slow you are.”

Since her first year of swimming, Jimenez has been able to improve a lot. She is now able to swim all four strokes well and is constantly improving her times. Jimenez thinks this is largely due to the wonderful Coach Hilmer and Coach Harris who always encourage swimmers to push themselves and swim their best.

“[The coaches] have helped me realize that I am capable of so much more than I think I am and that I can do hard things. They push me way past my comfort zone sometimes but I’m better because of it,” said Jimenez.

Jimenez has become a great role model to all the swimmers on the team, past, and present. She is an amazing role model and an even better friend. If Jimenez is there then everything is a great time and no one is without a smile. She is always there for the swimmers whenever they need a helping hand and can always make the day brighter.

Junior and former swimmer Elizio Bodden says, “Hannah is always supporting others and giving positive reinforcement. She always has a good attitude that is contagious to others, when you’re around her it’s hard to be upset at yourself.”

To the great disappointment of all the swimmers, Jimenez will be graduating this year. She says the thing she will miss the most about swim, is all the people she has gotten to be so close to throughout the years. The swim team is a super close-knit group and during the season they spend a lot of time together, from practice, meets, swim dinners, and trips. The swim team will miss her dearly.

“I’m just going to miss the whole team,” said Jimenez. “These people are my second family and I’ve been swimming with them for four years now. I love every single one of them and I’m going to be so sad to leave.”