Jose Plascencia faced a few challenges this winter during the high school swimming season.
At the start of the season, there was not a pool to train at. There was the illness that sapped his strength the week of the state meet. But those obstacles did not get in the way of a successful season for the Evergreen High School senior. Plascencia capped a successful high school career by swimming in the Class 4A state meet for the fourth time.
Plascencia’s aquatic journey began in San Diego. He became a Junior Olympian. To get away from gangs, his family moved to Vancouver before Jose started high school. Next week, his swimming ability will take him to a national competition in Mexico.
But it is his high school season — capped at state where Plascencia finished in third place in the 100-yard butterfly and was sixth in the 200 freestyle — that earned him recognition as The Columbian’s All-Region boys swimmer of the year.
What accompishment in high school swimming makes you most proud? “Setting the 50 free record (22.38 seconds for Evergreen High School). It’s a record I’ve been getting real close to for a couple of years, so to finally get it was a big accomplishment.”
What is most memorable about this high school season? “Not having a pool to swim in for about two weeks. We just did dry-land training and tried to stay in shape as best we could. We did swim a couple of times, but we could only stay in the pool for maybe 45 minutes. The water was about 72 degrees, and one of the days it was 65, I think. … Everybody was purple by the end.”
Have you met anyone famous? “I met Ian Crocker when I was at a swim meet in seventh grade. I met Michael Phelps at a camp when I was 15. He gave us some tips … I was so in awe of meeting him, I probably wasn’t really listening.”
Reaction to being The Columbian’s All-Region swimmer of the year? “I feel very, very honored. When I first started swimming, I never thought I would get to this point.”
He recalled a couple of years back when Columbia River’s Alec Chou was the swimmer of the year. “I remember reading that and thinking that by the time I’m a senior, I’m going to be the swimmer of the year.”
How did you feel about your high school state meet? “It was a pretty good performance. I was sick the week before, so I wasn’t really at my best, but I think it went pretty well.”
Swimming for your high school is only a small part of your competitive year. You also swim for Columbia River Swim Team. What’s you’re schedule like during the high school swim season? Plascencia said he woke up at 5 a.m . to swim from 5:30-6:30 a.m., then head to school. Practice for the high school team — the Evergreen School District teams train together — was from 2:45 to 4:15 p.m., followed by club team training from 4:15 to 6 p.m.
The training schedule eased up when the as the championship meets approached.
Swimming is a year-round sport. How does the high school season compare with competing for the Columbia River Swim Team club? “High school season is more fun. There’s a lot more people involved. We had 30 guys, and going to the swim meets it’s just a big family.”
Placencia’s personal records are 52.35 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly, 1:44.35 in the 200 freestyle; 54.28 in the 100 backstroke; 47.02 in the 100 freestyle; and 21.98 in the 50 freestyle. The 200 free time is the only one of those set in high school competition. The 50 free mark was set during the Pacific Northwest Section Senior Championships last month in Federal Way.
His liftetime best mark, though, might have been the decision to relocate to Vancouver from San Diego before starting high school. In his San Diego middle school, fights were a regular occurance. During his eighth-grade year, Jose said he stood up to a kid who was calling his mom names. When he learned that kid had connections to a local gang, Jose said several tense weeks followed.
The family had visited relatives in Vancouver, and Jose said he was anxious to move here to get away from a tough neighborhood in San Diego. Juan and Maria Plascencia moved the family to Vancouver before Jose started high school. His younger brother Alfredo also swims for the Columbia River Swim Team.
Jose plans to continue with club swimming while attending Clark College next school year. He would like to swim at a four-year college
How did you get started in swimming? “I was playing baseball, when they built a pool next to the park where I played baseball. I wanted to try swimming, so I took some lessons and pretty soon was swimming in meets.”
What does swimming mean to you? “It’s my life. I feel like swimming is a part of me. Swimming has opened the doors for me, it’s been there for me.”
Plascencia’s swimming résumé gets a boost next week. He will be in Mexico for a week to compete in a national meet.
His times during a recent senior sectional meet were fast enough to qualify him to swim the 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly at the Mexican nationals. His parents, Juan and Maria, are both Mexican. Though Jose was born in the United States, he has completed the process for Mexican citizenship, and looks forward to perhaps representing that country at international events.
What is one thing about you that might surprise people? “I know sign language. A teammate (Peggy Liang) is deaf. It seemed like she was a little isolated, so I wanted to learn sign language so we could all communicate. Now we communicate very well.”
Favorite TV show? “CSI. Not CSI Miami or New York, but the original.”
Hobbies? “I fish a lot. My dad says I was fishing even before I was born.” His biggest catch? A 35-pound salmon last fall on the Cowlitz River.
Favorite event or stroke? “The (butter)fly. Not many people swim the butterfly. And when you do the stroke well, you’re basically flying across the water” rather than swimming through it.
Most influential coach(es)? Plascencia has four coaches between the Columbia River Swim Team club season and the high school season: Dave Shoup, Mike Bemis, Darlene Hill and Doug Lumbard. He credits each of them for shaping his success. “I feel all of my coaches have given me something that is important to my success. I’m the outcome of what they’ve all given me.”
