Boilermaker Aquatics super star Johnson explains it all. Olivia Johnson is a standout swimmer for the Boilermaker Aquatics. Not only is she one of the best in the club but also the state. Even though you won’t find her at the IHSAA State meets. It all started with a five year old Johnson who was drawn to the water: I started swimming competitively when I was five years old. I started out on a little YMCA team and my passion for swimming just kind of grew from there. When I was eight I started swimming for Fort Wayne Aquatics and from there my family and I moved to West Lafayette and I started swimming for BA. BA (Boilermaker Aquatics) has taken off as one of the top clubs in the state with Overall 3 swimmers on the top 100 times ever swam in the country. Currently 4 swimmers have some of the top 10 fastest times and 11 have some of the top 50 times in the country. They also have 1 open qualifier, 5 Summer Junior National qualifiers, and 4 Winter Junior National qualifiers. In the Short Course 2013, they have 1 Record holder and several podium appearances. In the Long Course 2013 they Placed 14th overall and 13 top 10 finishers. In Senior State they placed 2nd overall. Johnson was one of those swimmers that represented her club at Jr. Nationals. Making it to JNATS was one of the best moments of my swimming career thus far. It was so amazing to turn around and see that everything you have worked for was worth it. Johnson is also a very accomplished runner for Harrison High School. Her 2012-13 season she twisted her ankle at Battle Ground and tried to finish the season through the pain. She finished eighth in the sectional as a freshman, the first non-West Lafayette girl to cross the line. She was eighth again at the regional before her season ended with a 17th-place finish at semi-state. In her 2013-14 season, she made it to state and placed 92nd out of 208 runners. Its very clear that she isnt just a good swimmer but a very well rounded athlete. When we asked what mattered more to her, swimming or running, she had this to say: Running is just as big a part of my life as swimming. I love both sports equally! They both have taught me so much. Olivia has a clear reason why she does not participate in High School swimming. I am a distance swimmer and high school is not set up for distance swimmers. The longest event I could swim is the 500. And a distance swimmer she has made herself out to be. In 2013 at the Indiana Age Group State meet Olivia broke the 400 IM state and meet record in a time of 4:20.39. Being the best 400 IMer in the state kind of makes you top dog among the rest. Shes kind of like the states female Ryan Lochte in that perspective. Johnson trains hard for the event day in and day out. An example of some of the grueling sets she has done - 6600 for time, 8x400 IM, 4x1000 The 400 IM is one of my favorite events. It is one of the toughest most gruesome events in swimming. I love that anything can happen in it. In 2013 The Boilermaker Aquatics suffered a huge loss when 10 year head coach TJ Day stepped down as head coach of the club he started to become the assistant coach of powerhouse Carmel Swim Club. Olivia, along with many others on the team were very close to him, but she says, I believe that everything happens for a reason. People come and go in your life and its something you just have to get used to. My swimming never really got off track. If anything it motivated me more, to work harder, and shoot for my goals. My team is everything to me. We are one giant family, dysfunctional at times, but thats what makes us special. We push each other everyday. It is truly awesome to be a part of BA. This team is my family.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 22:52:57 +0000
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