An Interview with Jonathan Peterson — OP Freshman Swimmer

We don’t often see very talented freshmen during their first year of high school, but recently I interviewed a very talented swimmer from Roselle Park, New Jersey, named Jonathan Peterson. With his noticeable talent, word spread quickly about his unsurpassed skill and record-breaking times.

Here is what Jonathan answered during the interview. When asked about his multiple broken school records, he answered: “I only broke one record, it was our relay team, we broke the 200-yard freestyle relay race.”

Another question we asked was if he swam in any club teams before the Oratory Swim Team. Jonathan answered, “I swam in the Westfield area YMCA since 1st grade.” He also said he’s been swimming since he was 8 years old.

I asked if any of his family members swam when they were his age and Jonathan said, “My brother swam but wasn’t competitive, I’m the only swimmer.”

When asked if he had any favorite swimmers he looked up to he said Caleb Dressel, who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley events. Our sixth question was what awards have you received so far with your talent? Jonathan replied, “For club swimming, I’ve broken 3 records, and received a ‘winning attitude’ award and numerous ribbons and medals throughout my career.” The race Jonathan dominates is the 100-yard freestyle and 50-yard freestyle. When asked about what goes through his mind in a race he answered, “Nothing, I’m locked in, if you think too much you will slow down.” And due to his skill, it has improved his chemistry with his team and connect a lot with older kids.