Underclassman, Overperformer: Jack Skarda shows a Promising Future for the Irish Swim Team

Background on the Backstroke

SEATTLE- Born and bred a swimmer, sophomore Jack Skarda has been perfecting his craft in the competitive ranks since he was 10 years old. Not only that, but it has also been a big influence on his life and a driving factor for his eventual future success’.

“The morning practices with school afterwards and two more practices after that, plus weights after each of those… made me more disciplined and organized,” Skarda states.

Creating this work ethic has shown that swimmers can be the most mentally tough athletes around, given their situation. Furthermore, mentally tough athletes are generally good at generating realistic goals that are bigger than most, but still seeming achievable. Having these goals can be the driving determination for athletes, and in Skarda’s case, it is.

“One big goal of mine is qualifying for the Olympic trials this summer,” Skarda says, “Another would be getting top three in state this year.”

Talking Stats

Skarda is one of many talented swimmers in Washington, being ranked 5th in the state, and has shown his growth just this past year shaving time off his personal bests. One example of this is a drop of his 50-meter free from March-December 2021. He dropped his time 1.69 seconds within that time with a current personal best of 22.29 seconds, which he achieved at the 2021 ON LSC 15&O Winter SC Championships December 18th.

But the free is only one portion of his skill set, his main event is the breaststroke.

This infographic proves it as such, Skarda is relatively even when it comes to the Fly, Backstroke, and Individual Medley, and showing his strong suit is in the Free and Breast. In the 15&O Winter Short Course Championships, he placed 7th out of 8 in the 100-meter breaststroke, which placed him in the A Final. While he wishes he could have finished higher, this was impressive considering the other 6 places are held by the classes of 2022 and 2023.

Skarda is already competing with the top upperclassmen, showing his maturity and how much further he can go being that Skarda is only a sophomore. The sky’s the limit.

Bigger than Swim

Skarda is a big believer in the brotherhood and the legacy of swimming at O’Dea, which attracted him to the school and made him want to be a top swimmer in the program.

“Nathan Hayes. Jack McGrath. Guys like them… I wanted to have the same success as they did, if not even more,” Skarda states. “Tom Schutte as well being a great coach.”

And not only that, O’Dea’s competition was also a big factor in his decision-making. Metro League is one of, if not the toughest leagues in Washington. But this doesn’t phase Skarda; he’s already planning to break records at the school, and to have his name on the plaques in the entryway into Phil Lumpkin Court.

“I could definitely break a few records at the school, so I’d suspect my name in the record books for a while,” Skarda proudly proclaims, “but I also have plenty of room for potential… other underclassmen do to… you’ll be seeing our names up on the record boards for the next few years.”

Looking into the Future

Skarda’s positivity shows how well he thinks of himself and rightfully so. He expects himself to be highly ranked nationally and to become a captain for the Irish by the end of his tenure here at O’Dea. Skarda wants his name to be known, no doubt, and it is a pleasure for him to be one of the outstanding athletes that attend this prestigious school.

“I want to become a someone who can represent O’Dea."

That Skarda will achieve no doubt, as he already has. With his mindset he has a very good chance of being one of the next star athletes to come through the doors of 802 Terry Ave., and will likely be talked about for years to come.

To put it simply, Jack Skarda, a young man from Kirkland, is becoming one of the star assets to this O’Dea swim team. To some, he is under the radar, but to others, he is one of the best underclassmen they’ve seen here at O’Dea. Proof? Just ask Senior Captain, Paco Palacian:

“He’s insane.”