John Kirchner '25 Recruiting Profile

I’ve been told that I would never be good at a sport. When I was in elementary school, I wasn’t your typical three-sport kid who adored recess and would play basketball in his free time; I was the kind of kid who loved everything creative, music, art, and photography. This imaginative drive helped guide me through school until kids got mean. I felt like I would never be an athlete, let alone a good one. This mindset stuck with me as I gave up the passions I loved and changed the ways I acted.

This was the reason why I decided to join swimming. But what I had expected to be a mediocre, short-lived swim career turned into a passion that has helped me overcome this mindset. Swimming is something that I truly love, a sport that makes me become a competitor and a team player. It’s helped me be confident in my athletic ability without having to discard all of the things that make me who I am. Since swimming, I’ve re-embraced the things that I enjoy and make me who I am. Currently outside of swimming I am a participant in the Wayzata D.E.C.A. Business Club and a member of Y.E.S. I enjoy drawing, programming, and playing the piano in my free time. I can’t see a future in college in which I’m not doing the thing I treasure and truly hope that I’ll be able to participate in a college-level swim team.