Junior National Swimmer Juggling School Work, Time and Health

Seisen Phoenix Soars!
This month, we feature our very own senior, Natsuki Uchino, a competitive swimmer determined to make it to the top in the world of swimming. As a strong, young female Sportsgirl, we value and appreciate what it means to train to be the best in order to find balance in all that our student-athletes have to endure. Read all about Natsuki’s swimming journey here.

Natsuki Uchino

 Grade 12

I have had my fair share of stressful experiences, but from experience, it is possible to manage to work while sparing time for yourself, social life, and athletic practices if you put your mind to it.

How old were you when you started your chosen sport?
I started swimming competitively when I was five years old.

How did you start and become interested in your sport? (Parents' signed you up? You saw someone competing and decided to attempt it)
I began learning to swim when I was two years old and looking up to my older brother, I followed him into the St. Mary's Swim Team at age 5. I became interested in swimming as I loved being active; swimming was a way to use my energy. 

How long have you been engaging in your sport?
This is my 13th year participating in the sport, and I have also committed to continue swimming in the US for university.

How often do you train, and where do you train?
I train around 2 hours 5 times a week in a Japanese swim club called MTRST, but I plan to move back to the St. Mary's Swim Team in April. 

What level of competition do you engage in?
I usually engage in competitions within the Tokyo region hosted by the Tokyo Swimming Association, but I have participated in national-level competitions in the past. 

How successful have you been? Did you win or do extremely well in certain competitions? Please describe what competitions they are.

Because of the competitive environment between Japanese swim clubs in the Tokyo region, there are a lot of extremely fast swimmers surrounding me. It is hard to describe my success, but I am in the top 10 in my age group in most races. 

Have you faced any challenges?
In the past, I have made the junior national cuts twice, but I have encountered many obstacles in my motivation and the restrictions following COVID-19 in 2020, which paused my progression at the time. I could not swim from 2020 to 2021, and from mid-2021, I joined MTRST to rebuild my mental and physical strength in swimming—especially in the short-distance sprints that I do—where even a hundredth of a second counts. I have been training hard over the years, but juggling school work and managing my time and health has also been a great challenge, which I am still learning to balance. 

Any final words of advice for budding athletes
I would say that no matter what, your health definitely comes first. However, within sports, mental strength—not only physical—is always something you need to work on. There will always be ups and downs in your performances, and it is important to know that it is normal; although it is tough, these experiences are learning opportunities to grow as an athlete and a person. Time management is also a key factor, especially as a high school student enrolling in the IB Diploma Program. With assessments, exams, practices and competitions all piling up, managing time becomes crucial in academics and athletics. I have had my fair share of stressful experiences, but from experience, it is possible to manage to work while sparing time for yourself, social life, and athletic practices if you put your mind to it. Good luck to everyone pursuing both academics and athletics!

A final sports quote, please

I come to practice every day with the mindset that I am there to get better

 - Caeleb Dressel