By: Laura Shaver Photo Courtesy Of: Jacob Huerta
It was a neighborhood pool that beckoned Jacob Huerta everybrday the summer he was five years old. His playful immersion into the water soonbrled to a year-round sport for the now 21-year-old college swimmer for thebrUniversity of Texas in Austin.
brbr
Competitive swimming has been part of Huerta’s life for wellbrover a decade. He also swam for Carroll High School, and while there, hebrattended the Olympic trials for the first time in 2016.
brbr
Now he’s gearing up for the trials once more. In June 2020,brHuerta will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, with quite a few other members of the UTbrswim team, to compete in the 100-meter fly and the 100- and 200-meterbrfreestyle. The Olympic trials will welcome 150 of the nation’s best swimmers inbreach category.
brbr
“The trials are huge; there is a lot of pressure on thisbrmeet,” says Huerta. “It’s super competitive, friendships are put aside, andbrnerves are at an all-time high.”
brbr
An invitation to the trials is initiated by a time standardbrthat a competitive swimmer must meet. Huerta’s time has improved in the 100-flybrsince his first invitation, and he has moved up in the national rankings. Onlybrthe top two swimmers in each race are awarded a spot on the United StatesbrOlympic swim team.
brbr
“I look forward to it,” he says, noting that the 2020 trialsbrmight serve as his swan song in swimming.
brbr
But the ongoing preparation for the highly anticipated eventbrcontinues daily. Huerta is training in the pool at UT twice a day, three days abrweek, and to free swim every afternoon. He is found in the weight room threebrtimes a week, and twice a week he engages in “dry land” exercises: high-brendurance cardio training, such as rope climbing and interval exercises.
brbr
With the university’s cafeteria open and available, Huertabrhas daily access to a wide variety of healthy foods and plenty of carbohydratesbrto keep his body fueled.
brbr
His family – mom, dad, and a younger brother – have been thebrbackbone of his support system. His brother is a runner and the morebr“competitive sibling,” Huerta said. “He’s got me on land, but he could neverbrtake me in the water.”
brbr
“Corpus Christi has been super supportive of my swimming, asbrwell, once I became a bit more public during my senior year in high school.brI’ve received lots of support from people I have never met,” he says.
brbr
Huerta doesn’t expect to make the 2020 Olympic team. “Thatbrwould just be wild,” he smiles, “a little crazy.” But his plans are certainlybrnot contingent on a coveted spot on the team. He is preparing to graduate frombrthe University of Texas with a degree in history, and plans to pursue abrmaster’s degree and a career in healthcare administration.
brbr
“Swimming has been super helpful in teaching me timebrmanagement throughout my schooling, and it has taught me self-discipline,brkeeping me focused on my goals as I move into the real world,” he says. “Ibrmight not swim for a few years after the trials. I will always love it, but Ibrwould like a bit of a break to try something new.”
brbr
Whatever Huerta finds to try, that competitive streak thatbrhas driven him for so long will keep him active and engaged in life-longbrfitness, no doubt.
