By Shel Segal
Completing a terrific season in the pool for the Pasadena High swim team is junior Mia Hepner. A competitive swimmer since she was a child, Hepner just seems to be getting better.
“I’ve been swimming competitively since I was 8. I’m 17 now,” Hepner said. “My brother swam when I was younger and then my parents told me that I should. I started and I’ve loved it ever since I started.”
Hepner said just has been swimming even earlier than age 8.
“I first got in the water when I was 2 and I did small, little races when I was 4,” she said. “I have a few little blue ribbons from them.”
She added it has been very therapeutic for her.
“It keeps my mind off of stressful things and I’ve always just loved it,” Hepner said. “I swim here after school every day, at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center.”
Hepner also said she trains in the pool six days a week with almost no time off during the year.
“We have two weeks off a summer,” she said. “And we have Christmas Day. And New Year’s Day.”
So, why work so hard? Hepner explained.
“I love it,” she said. “It has something I’ve always done. I’m motivated. It gives me something to look forward to. It really helps me with discipline. It keeps me focused.”
Hepner said she might want to go to college out-of-state and there is a chance she might want to study to become a teacher.
“I really like small liberal arts colleges on the East Coast,” she said. “And I also like the Claremont Colleges. But I’m not sure what I want to study yet. I like helping kids and working with kids. And I like special education.”
So, how’s this season been going for her?
“It’s been going really good,” she said. “I made it to (Pacific League postseason competition). I got first in the 500 for league and second in my 250. And I made it to CIF (Southern Section postseason competition.”
Pasadena swimming coach Jennie Jacobsen-Huse had words of praise for Hepner.
“She’s exceptional,” she said of Hepner. “She’s an elite swimmer and an excellent student-athlete. The last three years, even the most difficult year, she’s a 4.0 GPA. She’s been second before and this year it was really nice to have her win the league championship. That was really nice.”
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. Follow him via Twitter @segallanded.)