Athlete of the Week: Rachel Yaskovic

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Fia Cooper

Sophomore Rachel Yaskovic said her favorite part of swimming is the victories.

Josephine Robinson, Staff Reporter

Sophomore Rachel Yaskovic has been swimming competitively since the age of six. 

“I practice every day,” Yaskovic said. “Obviously not perfectly, but for the most part five days a week.”

Yaskovic was first introduced to swimming by her older brother, who competed in swimming and because she found it interesting. She enjoys being able to relate to her brother through swimming and also beating his records. 

In the past Yaskovic has also done dance, but she decided to focus on swimming because it was a better fit for her. 

Yaskovic has been learning and practicing swimming for a decade.

“It’s difficult,” Yaskovic said. “It’s not as easy as it looks. A lot of people give it hate because it looks really easy and it’s not. So it takes a really long time to perfect it.” 

Due to swimming being an individual sport, you are constantly comparing yourself to other competitors and teammates which makes mentality an important part of swimming. 

“The mental stability you need to swim is a lot harder than people would think, it’s 70% mentality,” Yaskovic said. 

Over the years Yaskovic has come to love the competitiveness of swimming and how it was different from other sports. In the past, she has competed on club swim teams and is now enjoying her time on the swim team here at La Salle. 

Yaskovic values the team’s dynamic of acceptance, honesty, and teamwork. 

“It’s really fun, a lot more accepting than my club team,” she said. “I enjoy the La Salle team over any other team I have been on.”

Practices usually consist of long-distance or sprint training, which is 1800 yards for long-distance, and 50 to 100 yards for a sprint. To end practice they have a cooldown which is 200 to 300 yards at a more relaxed pace.

To get ready for competitions Yaskovic eats healthy, listens to music, and engages with teammates to lift each other up. 

At first, competitions are nerve-wracking or even intimidating for Yaskovic as she looks around at the other people there. “But when you get in, it gets better,” she said.

Competitions usually consist of lots of cheering for teammates and a lot of “hard work,” Yaskovic said.

Her main event is the 100-yard butterfly and winning districts last year she has also won various ribbons and medals. 

It means a lot to Yaskovic that she has dedicated so much of her time to swimming and can see herself succeed. “It feels really good that my hard work is paying off,” Yaskovic said. 

Yaskovic’s goal for the future is that she will be able to complete the 100-yard butterfly in under a minute by her senior year. 

Yaskovic hopes that in the future the team will continue to build on teamwork and unite no matter their skill level. She wants the swim team to be an environment where, “you can still swim with your teammates and not feel neglected or nervous,” Yaskovic said.