Pennies lucky for Scarborough swimmer
Birchmount Park grad Jessett racking up good times
A penny isn't worth the copper it's made with these days, but for Scarborough Swim Club's Scott Jessett, finding a stray one can mean the difference between a fast swim and a slow swim.
It's a superstition that came to life a few years ago when the Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute Grade 12 student and distance freestyle specialist was competing at the Western Canadian Championships.
"I found a penny on the ground when I was walking from my hotel to the car. So I picked it up and kept it with me," explained the six-foot-four, 170-pound native of Scarborough.
Jessett, who is currently in Quebec City with the national B team at the Tri Nations Cup - a showcase of the 2012 Olympic hopefuls - turned in best times that day in the 50-metre free, 100m free, 200m free, 400m free, 800m free and the 1500m free, qualifying him for the nationals.
"So, if I'm swimming that day and I find a penny on the ground, I'll put it in my suit for when I'm racing... it's not like I'm really looking for them or anything," he clarified, "just if I see one I pick it up."
There were none to be found at the recent Canadian summer championships in Winnipeg, he said, but he did fare reasonably well at the preceding FINA World Championships in Monterrey, Mexico.
Jessett - who swam seventh in the 1500m at the Olympic Trials in Montreal in April which marks his fastest time to date - bettered an earlier personal best time in the 800m freestyle in Mexico by seven seconds despite a spell of food poisoning that hindered his 1500m event.
"Overall I guess I did OK, by the middle of it I was feeling sick so my 1500 wasn't that great," he said of the team trip. "I think I ate something funny."
After the Quebec City meet, Jessett, who also aspires to one day be a head coach of a swim club, will unwind for a few weeks before starting another season Aug. 20.
His mission come August, with the help of club head coach Sylvain Pineau, will be to take some time off his 1500m so he qualifies for the FINA World Aquatic Championships next year.
"I plan on taking 40 seconds off this year," he said, noting that he ultimately needs a time of around 15:30.
"And really, that's nothing for the 1500 free.'
His best time is 16:04.
