Shipley swimmer Jessee Joo is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week
The senior captain of the Shipley boys’ swimming team has been a key member of the Gators’ squad for the past three years. As a junior, he missed the first half of the season due to a concussion but came back the second half to place in the top two of all his events at the Friends Schools League championships. He is has been voted MVP the past two years by his peers on the team and has also been a unanimous first team All-Friends Schools League selection for the past two years. He was a second team All-Main Line swimmer as a junior.
Q: What was your most vivid memory of last year’s FSL Championships – can you share it with us?
A: Placing second in the 100 back was extremely rewarding, as I worked on it a lot last year. From trying to get better underwaters to increasing stroke rate, I worked on every part of my race. It was tough finding a manageable stroke rate that I could sustain for a 100.
Q: What (to you) are your most important roles as Shipley swimming captain, and how do you feel you can best fulfill those roles?
A: My most important role is to promote the team and invite people to come swim for the team, because Shipley is not known for having a phenomenal swimming program, unlike Haverford School, Episcopal Academy and other private schools on the Main Line. Another role as a captain of equal importance is to make sure everyone comes to practice every day. Swimming is a tough sport to commit to, especially with an increasing homework load for juniors and seniors, for it exhausts you and every muscle in your body you didn’t know you had. Also, there are days when swimming is the last thing you want to do.
Q: What do you think is your best event, and what do you think are your particular keys to success in that event?
A: My best event is the 100 free. Learning to kick throughout the race is important. For me, I could manage to kick and pull separately, but had trouble incorporating the two to be as fast as possible. Figuring that out definitely helps in the sprint events.
Q: Can you walk us through a typical day, or cycle, of training?
A: When I go to Shipley practices, warmups are always 200 swim/kick/pull/swim and then an assortment of either six or 10 50s with 10~15 seconds rest and some or sets that usually work on stroke. Without an interval, you really need to push yourself to be at the pace you want to be. At Radnor Aquatic Club, we almost always have a timed set and the most recent ones are 10 X 50 on the one-minute, a broken 500 for time, and an IM set that goes 2×50 fly, 200 IM, 2×50 back, 200 IM, etc.
Q: What aspect of your swimming have you been working on the most recently?
A: Lately I’ve been focusing on my technique for butterfly and breaststroke, as they are my weakest strokes.
Q: What (to you) has been your most memorable experience in your Shipley swimming career? Can you share it with us?
A: I loved bringing back our 400 free relay to place third at my first Friends Schools League Championships in 10th grade. During the beginning race, we got really behind since we had weaker legs of the relay. As the anchor, I had my work cut out for me, but I dove right in and helped our relay clinch third place.
Q: What pool did you first swim for?
A: The first pool I have memories swimming in (or trying not to swim in) is the pool at the YMCA at Roxborough. My mother signed me up for toddler swimming classes and I just couldn’t overcome my fear of the water. While all the other kids were learning to blow bubbles underwater, I just stood crying on the deck, looking for my mom to come take me home.
Q: What is your favorite swimming venue, and why?
A: My favorite swimming venue is, hands down, Upper Dublin High School’s pool. I forget all the technical specifications of the pool, but I love everything about the venue from the blocks to the lane lines and the taste of the water.
Q: Who have been your biggest swimming mentors, and what was the most important thing each of them taught you?
A: I’ve three coaches during high school: Taren Igou from Plymouth-Whitmarsh High School, Garrett Clark from Radnor Aquatic Club, and Megan McLain from Shipley. I thank Taren for taking me to Districts in my freshman year and exposing me to the essence of competitive swimming. I thank Garrett for challenging me by setting high standards. An finally, I thank Megan for telling me to “never give up” and to “find a way” to accomplish what I want, no matter how daunting things are.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-meet preparation the day of a meet.
A: If the meet’s on a school day, I just drink a lot of water during the day and remember to eat more fruits and vegetables. But if the meet is on a weekend or during a school break, I try to stretch the night before, sleep in as much as possible, roll out of bed, grab a breakfast sandwich, and head out to the meet.
Q: What (to you) has been the highlight of your swimming career outside of Shipley?
A: Swimming at Districts my freshman year is definitely the highlight of my swimming career outside of Shipley. I swam a personal best for a 100 free as the first leg of the 400 free relay.
Q: What colleges are among your current favorites? What do you think you might want to major in at college? Is there a particular career path that interests you?
A: I am applying to a number of schools in Pennsylvania, but don’t yet have a favorite as I have not visited many campuses. Regarding a major, I am currently inclined towards business and economics, but I hope to see what else I am interested in pursuing.
Q: Do you participate in any other extracurricular activities at Shipley? What sparked your interest in these activities?
A: I’m the lead trombonist in the jazz band and a participant in the China Club, which my friend established last year. I was born in a musical family since my mother was once an opera singer and a music teacher later on, while my father taught himself how to play the classical guitar; thus I acquired a similar passion for music and like to play the trombone and piano.
Fun facts – Jessee Joo
Favorite book: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance.
Favorite TV show: “I don’t watch TV, but I think I’d like House of Cards or Silicon Valley based on what I’ve heard from friends.”
Favorite movie: Inception.
Favorite athlete: Manny Pacquiao.
Favorite place to visit: Germany
Favorite pre-meet meal: spaghetti and meatballs with extra marinara sauce and toasted and buttered garlic bread.
Favorite color: blue.
Person I most admire: “Elon Musk. He’s a genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist… it doesn’t get cooler than that.”
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
