As he heard the familiar whistle signaling that it’s time to step on the block, junior Jake Everitt felt a sense of pure adrenaline rush through his body. Everitt has been swimming for as long as he can remember, and recently participated in his first Junior Nationals swim meet, where his team placed first overall. 

“Being at a big meet like Junior Nationals is totally different from other championship meets,” Everitt said. “The competition is much tighter. At this meet, if you are aiming to make finals and are seeded in the top 24, you have to match the time that you have seeded. If you add pretty much any time at all, you’re out for finals. Everyone’s times are pretty much back-to-back and are separated by hundredths of a second. Every second matters.”

In swimming, it’s very difficult to drop time. In a sport that warrants about two to three hours of training six days a week, personal best times are often dropped little by little. According to Everitt, while every drop in time is rewarding, larger ones are much more special.

“Swimming is a very individual sport,” Everitt said. “Sometimes you’re not even racing other people. I did a time trial at Junior Nationals, which means you aren’t in a heat with other people in the same race. I dropped 0.6 seconds off my best time. I was really pleased with that. I was racing myself.”

Everitt did not participate in high school swimming as a freshman or a sophomore. While his teammates were often busy during swim season, Everitt got more individual work at his club team’s practice, Beach Cities Alpha. He believes that completing difficult sets alone contributed to his success in time trials.

“What keeps me going during a hard set is my desire to finish,” Everitt said. “Once I start, it’s hard to stop. It takes a lot of power and fight within yourself to finish a hard set.”

Everitt’s coach, Justin Max, has been working with him for two and a half years. According to Max, he got to see a new side to Everitt at Junior Nationals.

“It’s really challenging to do well your first time [at Junior Nationals.] For this to be his first meet at this level and immediately open it up with a big lifetime best [time] in the 100 butterfly says a lot. I thought, ‘what a well-rounded and good teammate’ for the entire week we were gone,” Max said. “When it was his turn to race, he took care of business. But when it was his turn to be in the cheering squad or video squad, he took care of all of that really well.”

To qualify for Junior Nationals, swimmers must achieve a time standard that changes annually, which is formulated through the past year’s averages. This year, Everitt’s team got to bring in more swimmers than ever before. Out of about 600 swimmers on the team, Everitt was one of 10 to compete at this meet.

“Being able to send 10 athletes brought more of a team element to the meet. Everyone was cheering for one another and scoreboard watching from the very first night,” Max said. “[Having a bigger team] helps everybody stay excited and engaged in the meet. It is that much better when you have a disappointing moment to move on to the next, and have that team-first mentality.”

According to Max, Beach Cities Alpha was in close second to another team up until the last day of the meet. It was revealed that the team in first place had been disqualified in a relay as they watched the final relay of the night. According to Everitt, upon hearing this news, he and Max knew that winning the meet was likely.

“I think it’s super special for [Everitt] to be at and a part of Junior National, because he’s somebody who, when he was younger on the team, maybe got overlooked and didn’t get the recognition that he deserved at the time,” Max said. “It’s not how your story starts, it’s how your story ends. He has really come a long way, and the team has come a long way. [Everitt] has been a huge part of it.”

Everitt has been on the same swim team for 10 years, and hopes to continue his swimming career in college or a military academy. According to Everitt, winning his first Junior Nationals was a great experience. But it is just important to remember his earlier years in the sport and what drew him towards swimming.

“I have always loved the water,” Everitt said. “I love swimming and love to race. If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be to keep having fun with it. That is what matters the most.”