“Swimmers, take your mark!”

Prior to his descent into icy waters, Owen Tennant ’21 steadies himself with a deep, calming breath. Remembering the day’s conversations and jokes with fellow swimmers and coaches, he prepares himself for the difficult moments ahead. Now breathing quickly, he begins to mimic the racing conditions he will soon be under. Savoring the last of his uninterrupted air, Tennant visualizes his arms and legs moving in turn with his breathing. 

“Beep!” 

On solid ground just moments before, Tennant smoothly plunges into the still water. Although Tennant has long been accustomed to the feeling of the ground leaving his feet, this was not always the case. Playing soccer for five years prior to highschool, Tennant realized his love for swimming only after winning a local race.

“A lot of my friends urged me to do it. I decided that I’ll go along and try, and I ended up coming second. And that’s how I started swimming,” Tennant said.

After making the permanent decision to switch from soccer to swimming in high school, Tennant quickly rose to become one of the most successful and versatile swimmers for Princeton High School and the current varsity co-captain. However, success did not come easy for Tennant. Choking on water and stopping in the middle of a relay race freshman year, Tennant got his team disqualified. Upset with himself for letting down the team, Tennant quickly learned the value of self-confidence.

“Just don’t overthink the races and remember to stay sane beforehand. You’ve practiced for this moment, so you [are] prepared,” Tennant said.

With this new relaxed attitude, Tennant became a valuable contributor to the team. Head Coach Carly Misciewicz agrees with this sentiment, lauding his flexibility and attitude as his greatest assets.

“He’s very light hearted. He’s very easy going. If I need him to swim a certain event one week and a different event the next, he’ll say sure, whatever the team needs,” Misciewicz said. 

This attitude paid off. Apart from swimming breaststroke as his main event, Tennant is also accomplished in a variety of other events including the butterfly and 200-meter sprint. During his Princeton High School career, Tenant swam in every event at least once, demonstrating his versatility in a multitude of swimming strokes and styles. 

More than just competing in many different events, Tennant has found success in them all. Since freshman year, Tennant has been a scorer for PHS in every event; he placed in the top three of the county every year in breaststroke and has been able to place in the top six in all of his events. Head Coach Misciewicz remarks that his willing and confident attitude in the pool is a substantial factor.

“He’s a big contributor, whether it’s dual meets or state, but he always steps up to the plate with a smile, too. And he does it well,” Misciewicz said.

These admirable characteristics have allowed Tennant to find success outside of the pool as well. When COVID-19 hit and pools closed, he found it especially challenging to interact and practice with his teammates. However, he has overcome these obstacles by holding Zoom meetings to prepare the team for their modified indoor season. Understanding the motivational struggle this year due to the pandemic and the impact he has on the incoming group of PHS swimmers, he shares tips on out-of-water workouts, techniques, and creates a game plan for the return to the pool.

“I think this year it’s especially important to be a good role model so that younger kids have someone to look up to,” Tennant said.

Taking on a new leadership role as co-captain this year, Tennant has made sure to pass on his knowledge and experience to new members of the team. Whether it’s by joking around with teammates before each event or by leading by example with his own confidence and strength in races, he ensures that the whole team knows how to approach swimming and racing with composure and confidence. 

Taking these experiences gained from high school to the next level, he will be swimming for Colorado College next year.