Ionia boys swimming coach Laura Cairns
on Elijah “JJ” Harris
Year in school: Senior
number of years on varsity 4
Your thoughts about the athlete’s season so far:
JJ is off to a great start!
Any available pertinent stats?
He recently achieved 108 points in his diving debut at Waverly Feb. 9th.
What’s been the keys to his/her success?
JJ is patient, hardworking, & determined
How much improvement from last year?
There really is no comparison since this is the first year he was able to compete as a diver.
In what areas has the athlete improved from last year?
I see improvement in his focus and ability to make adjustments to improve in both swimming and diving.
What more do you expect from the athlete this season?
I expect him to continue improving his diving as well as swimming strength.
Is the athlete in any other sports?
Track
Any other comments about the athlete?
JJ is a true swimming senior in that he’s been on the team for 4 years. This is the first time since 2016 that the team has had 4 year swimmers. It shows a lot of determination and heart. Swimming is a hard sport, and it takes a lot of time and effort that many others shy away from, but not JJ.
What is the team record and how is the team doing ?
Our record right now is 0&2, but that does not truly indicate how we are doing. Despite the numbers on the scoreboard we improve daily. It’s particularly exciting this year to be able to have diving coached by Laura Fish. Diving was something that JJ wanted to try in previous years, but we were never able to get consistent coaching, so for him to have that opportunity his senior year is truly special.