Meet Joshua Baillie, swimmer and recent graduate of Bradshaw Mountain
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. — Joshua Baillie, now 20 years old, has been swimming since the tender age of 10. He has been a part of the Dolphins Swim Team, VAST (Valley Aquatic Swim Team), the Prescott Pirates, and most recently the Bradshaw Mountain High school swim team.
Josh will be a student attending Arizona State University this fall, and his aspirations include swimming for the ASU swim team while in college, as well as being selected to participate in the Olympic trials. He has been working hard to ascertain his dreams by focusing on beating his personal records. At the Sectionals swim meet this last year, he came very close to beating his goal of a 1 minute 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:00.55. He quotes his inspiration, Michael Phelps, by telling us, “Goals should never be easy”.
Josh says the biggest challenge in swimming is always to attempt to break personal records at every meet. A true athlete, he has the constant desire to be the best version of himself that he can be and see his times decrease. If for some reason he doesn’t make his goals, then he reevaluates his performance and assesses what is necessary to be better the next time. He shares with us the story of a recent meet where physically his body seemed to protest and he had a very difficult time swimming. It was a very familiar event for Josh, the 1650-yard freestyle. What should have been easy for him ended up being agony. With cramps on both sides, dizziness, numb arms, and legs that felt like weights, Josh exited the pool feeling full of defeat and heartache. Realizing he had been swimming the race for all the wrong reasons, it occurred to him he was swimming as if it were a job, and not his passion. Competing with anger and rage only will take you so far. If you don’t find passion and joy in your sport, then you certainly won’t find success. With a newfound change in attitude, Josh now swims with a positive attitude, and his times have never been faster.
Another valuable piece of advice that has been important to Josh over the years has been to never skip sets or laps. He says, “skipping sets or laps hurts no one else but you. That has really stuck with me all these years and has motivated me to work as hard as I can every day in the pool.”
Pregame rituals always include a good meal which typically includes a PB&J sandwich, an egg or two, applesauce, and an orange or two. He says most of those items are fast energy items that are absorbed quickly. He also references his idol once again and says he does a few “Michael Phelps”. (Aka cross-arm body slaps), some leg slaps and arm shakes. It is important to get the blood moving prior to a race, so a quick warmup and a few sprints to feel the water round out the pregame preparations.
One last thing Josh wanted to be sure to add is a special thanks to his family as they have been his biggest fans. Especially his mom, who has driven him to competitions, made him nutritious meals, and always encouraged him to do his best. His sister, whose cheers are always the loudest. To Coach Bill who has been there since Josh first joined the team, and to Coach Tyler who has helped me to get stronger in my strokes and technique.
Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
Best of luck to you in all of your future endeavors, Joshua Baillie!
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