10 Questions With ... Jakob Otte: Men's Swimming

Our second 10 Questions feature comes courtesy of Orange Coast College men's swimmer Jakob Otte, who talks about the keys to success in the water as well as goals and aspirations for his life after OCC.

1. Tell us about your involvement with men's swimming. When did you get started? What is it about the sport you love so much and what got you into playing in the goal?

"When I first started swimming, I was really little and I remember going to my grandparents' house and beg to jump into their pool … even at the age of 2! I remember swimming at Pacific Sands at the age of 4 and growing up, I did all of the sports, but swimming was the one that stuck with me."

2. Tell us about your specific specialty stroke/event? What is the key to success in that particular race and what have you learned here at OCC to help make you race as fast as possible for that event? (200 IM and 100-200 breaststroke)

"I'm able to do all of the main strokes. For more success in some strokes, it's about the way some people are built. Some strokes require big motions in the water and for me, I can get really big in my breaststroke pull and I'm able to use my legs well. For me, it's constant practicing all of the time and being really sure you're getting down to the minute details for each stroke. It's about the concept of moving forward in the water and being able to streamline your legs to maximize my effort. If I had to pick my toughest stroke in the IM, it's the backstroke. That's always been my kryptonite. I was able to win league finals at Edison in the IM and I was behind after the backstroke, but I was able to finish strong."

3. Swimming is definitely a sport that isn't on everyone's radar. For someone who doesn't know much about the sport, tell us about just how much work is put into every practice and what are some things you do outside the pool to further improve on your strength and conditioning??  

"Outside of the pool, Coach Anthony makes sure we are doing something independent from the team, whether it's jumping rope or doing pull-ups … that sort of stuff. Last year, I'd say we were in the pool around 18 hours a week and sometimes, we'd have two practices a day. On Fridays, we'd race other and we'd spend a lot of time with the weights. One thing we made sure of is we'd cover the aspects of stretching and making sure we were completely warmed up before each practice or competition, which definitely helps with our flexibility."

4. How has it been swimming here at OCC and swimming for Coach Anthony? What are some of most important lessons you've learned thus far in terms of swimming and just succeeding in and out of the water??

"He talks about life all the time and he's the reason I came to OCC. He talked to me about the success of the program and does a great job of treating our team like we are one big family. When we travel, we are always together, with no drama whatsoever. That's what drew me to OCC. When I was at Edision, at that moment, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. Coach Anthony helped me figure it out."

5. Have you been able to see what the new Aquatics Pavilion looks like and how excited are you to compete in such a beautiful facility? (Compare that to training in the old pool area).

"It was done back in March and we were all so excited to start training in it since the beginning of the spring semester, but then COVID shut us all down. To finally be able to get back to for the past few weeks, it's been incredible. It's definitely the nicest pool deck … even nicer than the one at USC. The shaded area above where the bleachers are is the biggest in Southern California!"

6. If I gave you a 24-hour pass from COVID and you could do anything that you used to do, what would it be?? What do you miss the most from this isolation??

"Well, I did have a trip planned this summer and it got canceled, so I'd fly somewhere crazy. We were going to go to the Olympics, so hopefully that's something I'll be able to experience again someday."

7. All kids like to eat … what are your favorite meals??
   1. Favorite food in general – "Sushi for sure … my favorite roll is called the 'Girl on the Beach'".
   2. Favorite pre-race snack – "Cheese-Its … or buttery Ritz crackers."
   3. Favorite post-race meal – "My favorite food after a meet … Raising 'Canes."
8. When you're not competing in swimming, what do you enjoy doing?? Any hobbies or interests???

"I tend to do things by myself, like going to the beach and body-surfing. Otherwise I enjoy hanging with my friends and I also have gotten into photography."

9. In this COVID world there has been a LOT of TV binge watching going on … what are some of your favorite shows you've been hooked on over the past several months?

"I've rewatched ''Avitar: The Last Air Bender and I've also rewatched 'The Ozarks' and 'Designated Survivor'".

10. What are some of your plans after OCC?? Perhaps a career beyond swimming??

"I am the son of two educators and I love history, so I'd like to become a high school history teacher. I love kids and hopefully I can pursue that career path. As for school, I've submitted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Santa Barbara so hopefully I can continue my path at one of those schools."