Episcopal Academy’s Ashley Tang is Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week
The senior swimmer and captain has been a key factor in the Churchwomen’s aquatic success this winter (4-1 in the Inter-Ac), particularly in the sprint events. At the Inter-Ac Championships Feb. 12, Tang placed in the top five in all four of her events, including 50 free, 100 free, 200 free relay (second) and 400 free relay. Last winter, she finished in the top 20 on the Easterns scoreboard in several events. EA swim coach Brian Kline said, “Ashley has made amazing strides this season, is a massive part of our team and has been paramount in our wins.”
Q: What was the key to your performance at Inter-Acs?
A: I think the key was definitely the support of my teammates and coaches. I remember I was swimming in the 100 free and by the fourth lap I was getting a little tired, but when I went to breathe I saw them jumping up and down cheering, and that adrenaline carried me through to finish the race to get a PR!
Q: What aspect of your swimming did you work on most during the past off-season?
A: I don’t swim for a club team, so during the off season I usually swim a little bit on my own and go on short runs in my neighborhood, but this past off season, I started lifting more on my own, which has definitely helped me get stronger.
Q: How do you view your leadership role (in and out of the pool) as captain of the EA girls swimming team?
A: I like to lead by example, rather than telling people what to do, and I think that as a captain, my leadership role has been more about motivating people and getting people excited and keeping it positive on deck. I’m on a really great team, and everyone is super supportive of each other, so they make my job as a team leader really easy, but when people are nervous about a swim or upset about a time, I try to motivate them or comfort them. Whenever I’m not warming up or warming down, I am always cheering on my teammates and I encourage my other teammates to do the same.
Q: Can you give an example (in or out of the pool) of where you had to provide team leadership as captain?
A: There was one meet this season where the other team took a commanding lead on us early in the meet and team morale was pretty low, so during the break, I gave my team a pep talk and reminded them to just give each swim everything they had, not to worry about the times, and just go out and have fun.
Q: Tell us a little about your start in competitive swimming. Who have been your most valuable swimming mentors, and what were the most important things you learned from each of them?
A: This is only my fifth year of competitive swimming. I started in eighth grade, when I came to EA, but I have grown up always being around a pool, and before I started competitive swimming, I was actually a synchronized swimmer for eight years. My most valuable swimming mentors have been coach Kline, coach Lear, and coach Hyson. They have all helped me improve tremendously. Beyond the technical advice, coach Kline taught me not to worry about times, but just go out and race, and that positive thoughts breed positive actions, which are two mindset that I approach every race with. Coach Lear has given me a lot of technical advice, and coach Hyson reminds everyone to be a fountain and not a drain.
Q: What is your favorite swimming venue, and why?
A: I love the EA pool. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and I have made so many memories there with my teammates over these past five years. But aside from EA, I really like the Franklin & Marshall pool because of the memories from Easterns. I also really like the blocks and I think the scoreboard is really cool.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-meet preparation on the day of a meet.
A: On the day of a meet, I get people as excited as possible about the meet – I give stickers to my teammates and send a pump-up text in the morning. Throughout the day, I remember to stay hydrated and eat foods that will make me feel light. And around an hour before the meet, I usually eat a protein bar and get a good warm up in.
Q: Do you participate in any other extracurricular activities at EA other than swimming?
A: I am a part of student council, a member of EQV (a senior leadership group at EA), and a part of the Key club at EA. I also started the forensics club at EA and I am a leader of the girls in STEM club. I have also competed in the Delaware County Science Fair with devices that I have created and the governor’s STEM competition.
Q: What is your favorite academic course at EA? What do you think you’d like to major in at college? Is there a career path that particularly interests you at the present time?
A: It’s hard to say exactly which one of my favorite courses at EA is my favorite because I love so many of them, but I love my AP European History class, my freshman year biology class, my BC calculus class last year, my AP chemistry class from last year, and my latin 4 and 5 classes. I’m going to be majoring in Electrical Engineering in college and I’ve wanted to do so ever since I was younger. And my dream is to use Electrical Engineering to start a company that develops affordable, practical devices to improve people’s lives in the medical field.
Fun facts – Ashley Tang
Favorite book: The Great Gatsby.
Favorite TV show: Friends.
Favorite movie: Knives Out.
Favorite pre-meet pump-up song: Mr. Brightside.
Favorite place to visit: “It’s hard to choose, but I love being around the ocean and lakes because I think they’re really pretty.”
Favorite pre-meet meal: oatmeal with banana and cinnamon.
Person you most admire, and why: “I really admire my mom and my dad because they are incredibly selfless people and have worked so hard to give me the best opportunities that they can. They are so supportive of everything that I do and are unconditionally loving.”
(To be selected as Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by her coach.)
