As she dives in the pool to swim her signature event, the 50 meter freestyle, junior Leila Espejo’s stress washes away. Espejo began swimming in fifth-grade on a summer team and has since devoted much of her time to swimming competitively year round. She swims for three teams: the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC), the Rockville Rays summer team and the CESJDS swim team.

While Espejo loves swimming and thrives in the water, this season has not been her favorite. She feels that returning to swimming after her previous season was canceled due to COVID-19 is difficult as it is hard to get back into a routine. There are many new precautions her teams are now required to take that impact their ability to build a community. Nevertheless, she has managed to stay committed to the sport that she loves. 

“One thing I miss the most is having my parents watch me compete,” Espejo said. “They can’t do that now because it’s no spectators allowed.” 

However, it has been especially hard for Espejo because she has not been able to swim since the beginning of December.  She attempted to continue swimming, but her doctor advised her to stop because it was putting her health at risk. Since then, she has focused on healing her injury, with the support of an orthopedist, physical therapist and other medical professionals.

Espejo takes comfort in watching her fellow swimmers work through their own various injuries. While it can be stressful to miss out on opportunities to improve, seeing her friends succeed gives her hope that she will be able to overcome missing practices as well.

“Seeing these people that I admire, that are also my friends, thriving in swimming now after having very similar injuries is really motivating for me,” Espejo said. 

Espejo is using that motivation to recover from this injury and regain her skills and technique. When she is able to compete again, she wants to have the same competitive edge as everyone else. 

“My main future goal right now is to just get back in the water and start going fast as soon as I can… and definitely being a good competitor to my other swimmers,” Espejo said. 

Espejo does not practice with the JDS team often because it often overlaps with her other teams, but according to swim team coach Gabriella Pilarski, always brings her competitive spirit. At JDS practices, she often works on improving her times in order to qualify for Metros, an elite swim meet in the area. 

“She brings a certain intensity to the team, which is very nice. It makes everyone, and especially the younger athletes, take [the sport] seriously,” Pilarski said.

Focus and intensity are just a couple things Espejo brings to the table. According to swim captain, senior Gabe Soffler, she is an asset to the team because of “her knowledge of how to do the strokes perfectly, and her willingness to share her experience with the team.” 

Because her swim schedule includes practicing eight times a week and lifting three times a week, JDS has permitted her two study halls, allowing her to leave school for practice without missing any classes. But the intense schedule does not faze her.

“When I’m feeling really anxious or just had a bad day, I use swimming before doing homework or before continuing on with my day,” Espejo said. “It’s just a relaxant. There’s nothing else to think about but swimming.”