Up-and-Comers: A Chat With Club Wolverine Rising Star Jayla Kuzak

Up-and-Comers: A Chat With Club Wolverine Rising Star Jayla Kuzak

Recently aged-up 13-year-old Jayla Kuzak has spent the last year winning titles and knocking down records. At the Central Zone 14-and-Under-Championships in August, the Club Wolverine (Mich.) swimmer won all six of her events: the 200-400-800 meter freestyle (2:10.46, 4:35.47, 9:32.87), 200 fly (2:26.36) and 200-400 IM (2:27.45, 5:10.93). Kuzak also holds the 11-12 Michigan state record in the 400 IM with a time of 5:10.73.

“Jayla is a very aerobic swimmer and can hold consistent paces and stroke rates very well both in meets and during hard sets in practice,” says Coach Pat Wickering. “She is a leader in and outside the pool. She is a very friendly, social girl who is hardworking and helps others to stay on task.”

Kuzak’s success in the pool undoubtedly comes from her dedication and determination to the sport. Even on vacation, Kuzak can be found at the pool at 4 a.m. knocking out a practice before doing anything else with her day!

WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU DO IN SWIMMING?

My best asset is having grit: Grit of pushing as hard as I can to hold a certain average for as long as I can…grit to be the first to touch the wall at every practice and every race…grit to do certain techniques right over and over again, even when my body is running on fumes…grit of never missing a swim practice and choosing to do the most difficult workout versus the norm. It’s the fuel that pushes me to keep going.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST WORKOUTS/SETS YOU’VE DONE?

My first toughest experience was when I was first introduced to the agony of Coach Laura Cowley’s kick set. I was 9 years old at the time, so it was very memorable. The kick set consisted of 10×100 with fins. The first 25 was underwater dolphin kick breathing every nine kicks, the second 25 was dolphin kick on your back, and the last 50 was flutter kicks with a board. The interval was at 2:00, and at the time, I thought it was pure torture.

My second experience was a set introduced by Coach Karl Shaffer. I highly recommend this set for people who don’t feel pain! The team and I did this dreadful set about three times…and three times too much. It was 3×300 freestyle (very fast) at 4:30. One 300 in, and I was already dying. My face was red with heat, my legs dead and beat, and my arms heavy and weak—I could go on forever. Right after that, we had a kick set—as if I weren’t about to sink to the bottom of the pool already!

My third experience was a recent set under Coach Pat Wickering. This was an IM set, and we had a senior swimmer practicing with us. The set was four times through with 1×100 IM and 4×50 IM order by set, but the catch was that after each round, the number of 100 IMs would go up by one, so by Round 3, there would be 3×100 IMs. To make it worse, the speed got faster for each set. When we thought we were near the end of the set, my face was watermelon red. My coach yelled out, “Last one from a dive!” Great! I was already at zero gas left in my tank, and now I had to go into the negatives!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT SWIMMING?

I love that swimming is both an individual and team race. Among your own team, healthy competition always exists. I love how teammates can push you to be better and you can also push them to be better at the same time. I also love how swimming is all year long, so I can see my friends and coaches all the time.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR?

This year, I am looking forward to Christmas. It will be the first year celebrating the holiday season with my cousins from Canada. I am also excited about the food since my mom always cooks up a feast for the holidays. It’s like a never-ending all-you-can-eat buffet!

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN SWIMMING…AND WHY?

I look up to Katie Ledecky. She is a legend with humility and class. She pushes herself with her mindset, not her competitor. She also always has a smile. Her swimming style and her workout regimen is unmatchable. But most of all, I look up to her positivity and the kindness that she always spreads.

I also look up to Leah Smith for her grit and determination. In the (400 IM) race between her and Ledecky (at this summer’s U.S. nationals), you can tell that she carefully strategized her race. She kept up with Katie the whole time and even passed Katie on the backstroke. Although she didn’t win, it was probably one of her best races. Her personal best time was so close to the greatest legend—just less than a second away from Katie’s personal best.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES?

My absolute favorite thing to do is spend quality time with my friends and family. I think that happiness is the key to success, and if you are happy, you can do anything. Being with my friends allows me to let loose and put all of my worries in the back of my head. Being with my family allows me to love and appreciate everyone.

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