Midland swim instructor: ‘I placed top sixteen in the nation consecutively since I was twelve years old’

Jessica McCoy | Best of Midland podcast on Youtube

Midland premier swim teacher Jessica McCoy said she had a very successful career in swimming after starting as a child, which took her all the way through college. 

“We moved to Austin I think when I was 10 years old,” said McCoy on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. “So when we went there we joined Texas Longhorn Aquatics which is UT's, University of Texas in Austin, their club team. And there I ended up actually taking part of a relay that made the national age group record four times which was pretty cool, and placed top three in the state.”

“I placed top 16 in the nation consecutively since I was 12 years old,” McCoy said. “And then got recruited by Purdue, Rice, Texas A&M, but SMU ended up signing with them. Got a scholarship to go there, graduated, swam on the swim team. Then got brought out here and then I'm currently getting my masters at the University of Texas in Austin for kinesiology specialized in sports management.”

Jessica McCoy joined the podcast to talk about her premier swim school, Head Above Water, located in Midland. She is a long time swimmer, having done so competitively when she was younger, and felt passionate about helping keep children safe around water, as well as teaching them the joys of swimming. She also talked about the importance of community engagement and her efforts with local non-profits. 

Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top business and upcoming  live events happening in the area.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.