River’s Bottelberghe sees pool as refuge from schoolwork
The bell rang and junior Jessica Bottelberghe dragged herself down the hall to a meeting place at Columbia River High School.
It was a Friday, the end of the school day, the end of the school week, and Bottelberghe looked exhausted, disheveled even.
She was supposed to swim that afternoon, but she did not look up to the endeavor.
“Are you going to be alright in the pool?” someone asked.
Like a switch had just been flipped on, Bottelberghe’s face lit up. Just like that, mentally exhausted student became energized athlete.
“Absolutely,” she beamed.
Absolutely, indeed.
Jessica Bottelberghe takes the difficult classes at Columbia River, a full diploma candidate in the International Baccalaureate program. In the fall, she attends high school swim practice after school before going to club practice. Then, and only then, can she tackle the up to three hours of homework per day.
“It’s not as bad as everyone thinks it is,” Bottelberghe said. “It’s all about time management.”
Although training in the pool is strenuous, it also is a refuge, a stress-reliever for Bottelberghe.
“There is no pencil or paper in the water,” she said.
“You train hard, but your friends are there,” Bottelberghe said. “They make it fun. They help you work hard, achieve your goals.”
So far this season, all those goals have been reached. She qualified for the Class 3A state swimming championships in all eight individual events. Not because she had to, but because she can.
“It’s cool to say she qualified for all of them,” Columbia River coach Tim Hegedus said.
WIAA rules limit swimmers to four events, and Bottelberghe is using two of the races to help her teammates on relay squads.
Not that there won’t be any shot at individual glory this week at the state championships at the King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way. Bottelberghe is seeded first in the 100-yard butterfly, second in the 200 individual medley. Preliminaries are Friday, with finals set for Saturday.
“It’s so exciting. There’s nothing like high school state,” said Bottelberghe, who competed at state freshman and sophomores seasons, as well. “There’s so much adrenaline. You never know when someone’s going to pop out something amazing.”
Bottelberghe would love to be the one doing the amazing.
“My ultimate goal would be to become a high school state champion,” she said.
Her coach thinks this could be the year, too. Bottelberge finished fourth and third in these events as a freshman. Last year, she finished second in the 100 and 200 freestyle races.
“We’re looking for progression. Fourth and third, then second and second,” Hegedus said. “Now we’re hoping for a state championship.”
They had their options, swimmer and coach. The best of the best swimmers in the state generally are strong enough to qualify in most, if not all, of the events. Deciding what to do at state comes down to the times. It is not necessarily the athlete’s favorite event. It’s the athlete’s best chance to succeed.
“Just look around the state to see where she would be seeded the highest,” Hegedus said.
That does not take an International Baccalaureate (IB) program student to figure out, but there is one question that Bottelberghe had a hard time answering. What is her best sport? Bottelberghe also is an strong track and field athlete for the Chieftains.
“It’s goes back and forth,” she said. “It’s whatever I’m doing the best at, at the time.”
Swimming is pretty much her year-round sport. She only trains for track and field in the spring. But both sports provide what she called a “good balance” in her life. By that, she means an escape.
This school year, she is taking pre-calculus, Spanish III, IB history, IB biology, IB art, and IB English. She said she needs to remain active outside of class in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In the fall, she has high school and club swimming Then club swimming has some of its bigger events toward the end of winter and into spring.
“Then you’re ready for a break,” she said.
Not to rest, but a break from one sport and into the next, track and field. Bottelberghe placed fourth in the state in the 800 meters in track last spring.
“It’s nice to have something else to do that provides an equal challenge,” Bottelberghe said.
As if her life is not challenging enough.
