- 2019 Highlights
Personal Statement
"I'm coming for everything they said I couldn't have."
Hi! My name is Jenna Scognamillo and I am going into my Junior year at Park Vista Community High School in Lake Worth FL. I am 15 years old and I love spending time with my family and friends, making memories, and making myself feel involved. This quote above has inspired, motivated, and has gotten me amped up for my races when I need it the most. I use this quote and this photo to inspire me when I am feeling nervous, or using it to push myself beyond my limits. I first joined a Recreational Club and spent close to 2 years there which taught me leadership skills, team bonding, and built the foundation for a new and upcoming journey of swimming. In January of 2017, I transitioned to USA swimming and found it to be drastically different than what I was used to. I was now waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go to practice, swimming twice in a day over the summer, incorporating dryland into my practices, and swimming long course. I wanted to quit, give up, and go back to my old team. My current coach took me aside and asked me to give it 3 months before making any decisions about going back to my old team. Meanwhile, I was constantly nervous about going to practice; I was wasting my whole day thinking what will I have to go through once I arrived at the pool. About 6 months later I was finally able to get over these obstacles and pursue what I loved doing. I found myself enjoying being there, and finally able to make new friends and talk to more people. I could now feel comfortable in practice and didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of nervousness when I got to the pool. Now, I am able to push myself and feel a sense of safety and family when I’m at the pool. I know that pushing myself beyond my limits won’t kill me, it will only make me stronger. My wide variety of friends allow each other to support one another and to push ourselves. I am able to joke around with my Coach and make each other laugh throughout practices.
I am very eager to journey out into college and would love to be recruited for college swimming. I would be able to bring a sense of leadership, motivation, joy, and laughter to a team allowing a family like bond to form. I hope this story about me has intrigued you into looking closer into the person I have become. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jenna Scognamillo
