A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Courtney Joseph

courtney-josephThere are not many high school seniors who would be dedicated enough to spend their winter break swimming laps at the school while most of her peers slept at home. Courtney Joseph, Girls' Swim team co-captain and this week's Portage Life in the Spotlight, did just that.

"With only a single day of break for Christmas, Joseph dutifully spent her winter vacation at the school, Monday through Saturday, for three hours a day doing strength training and working in the pool."[These practices] are extremely physically and mentally hard, but I know it's only to better our swimming," Joseph said.

Even during the school week, she spends up to three and a half hours at practice per day, both before and after classes and on Saturdays.

"It takes a lot of dedication, but knowing that this is what's going to get me the [results] I want makes it all worth it," Joseph said.

Although the demanding schedule of her sport still takes its toll, it is nothing new to her.

"I was four when I started taking swimming lessons," Joseph said. "And I tried tons of different sports, but when I was eight or nine I started taking swimming more seriously and it's stuck ever since."

Now, thanks to all her hard work over the years, she is a co-captain of the swim team. With such an important title, her role on the team often influences her attitude toward swimming.

"It makes me try to achieve my goals more so that I am setting a good example for other swimmers," Joseph said. "I hope that they can see that hard work and dedication pays off in the end."

It is especially important for Joseph that she tries her best because, as co-captain, other swimmers are always watching her actions.

"If they see me slacking off at a meet or practice, they're going to think it's okay for them to do it as well," Joseph said. "Also, if I don't set my expectations high enough for myself, [a meet's result] could come down to me winning or losing an event, which could cause the team to lose the meet."

To ensure her team's success, Joseph wishes to push her hardest this year, with hopes to rank higher during the Duneland Athletic Conference and place in the top eight at the Indiana High School Athletic Association sectionals meet.

"I plan to try to believe in myself more and my capabilities of being able to achieve my goals," Joseph said.

To physically challenge herself, Joseph wears two swimsuits at practice. This creates a drag and forces her to put in twice the effort. Then at meets she only has one suit on, which makes her "feel faster in the water."

"By now I'm so used to wearing two suits that when I switch to one it feels like I'm missing something important," Joseph said.

Swimming is a very unique sport, and Joseph feels that it is also one of the most difficult, both mentally and physically.

"It's not hard for our mental state to take over at practice or a meet and change our outlook on things," Joseph said. "And it takes a lot of dedication because of the hours we put into the pool to get the results we want."

Between meets and practices, Joseph enjoys spending time discussing swim and watching movies with her teammates. She says there is a group of about eight swimmers with whom she is closest.

"We have been together so long and spend so much time together that I almost consider them family," Joseph said.

Throughout her time in swimming, Joseph has learned that, "No matter how hard the challenges are, with hard work, nothing is impossible."

She intends to keep making her goals possible after graduating from Portage High School this June. Joseph plans attend college at either University of Indianapolis or Valparaiso University. While she is undecided in her major, she definitely wishes to keep swimming.