She started swimming around the age of four, and by age thirteen she ranked 23rd in the nation for her age group the 800 freestyle at the 2019 long course state meet.
Jaime Forbes is a freshman swimmer for Northview, and a recent transfer from Rockford. While she may not have the advantage of seniority, that doesn’t stop her from achieving her best. Forbes’s mom and Coach of her club team Riptide, Terri Eudy, agrees.
“Things that bother you and me, she can deal with,” Eudy said. “It’s that distance swimmer mindset. She takes her strides, she deals with it, and then she moves on.”
Talent comes naturally to Forbes, but a lot of what she’s achieved, has been with the help of her teammates.
“They have your back and you have theirs,” Forbes said. “Even if they are just there to cheer you on, you need them. Not only that, they keep pushing you forward. Keep you getting better.”
Forbes holds many personal records, including a 5:09.62 500 freestyle, which is a Riptide club record, a 18:18.49 mile, and a 10:46.42 800 free.
These were all attained at the age of thirteen.
Forbes hasn’t just easily crushed these records though. Some races were met with similar competition.
“My mile at a state meet was really close,” Forbes said. “ I touched out the girl I was racing by .2 [seconds].”
After swimming side by side with another girl for a mile, turn after turn, breath after breath Forbes used the last ounce of her energy to get in front of her competition.
According to Forbes, there are two actions that are vital to getting from good, to great. Perseverance and diligence.
“The hard work is there for you,” Forbes said. “Just use it. Use it to make yourself better. Use it to help your teammates get better.”
Forbes holds true to these words, according to a Captain of Northview’s swim team Senior Vivian Schmidt.
“She’s busting her butt everyday in the weight room and in the water,” Schmidt said. “I’ve never seen her slacking. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if Jaime swam to the moon and back in one day. She can accomplish anything she puts her mind to because she just has that work ethic and an incredible drive to achieve.”
Eudy agrees.
“Some of the workouts that [the swimmers] do are crazy and intense,” Eudy said. “My other kids go ‘Oh my gosh there’s no way I can do that, it’s insane!’ Jaime does it and then she comes back and does it again the next couple of days.”
Forbes is content with where she is right now, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t thought about post-high school plans.
“I really want to swim during college even if it’s not in college,” Forbes said. “I would swim with a club, or even on my own if I have to.”
Forbes wants everyone to know that you can make a name for yourself, regardless of age or popularity.
“Go get it,” Forbes said. “Dream big. All you have is what you start with.”
