Q&A with Portage Northern swimmer, All-American Angelina Baker
PORTAGE, Mich. — Having spent over half her life swimming competitively, Angelina Baker, 18, will do whatever it takes to reach her goals. That includes slipping into a wetsuit, swimming in 50-degree lake water, and practicing with her team聽twice a day聽in an outdoor pool throughout a frigid Michigan winter. This kind of self-discipline and mental toughness – and plenty of smothered chicken dinners 鈥� have enabled the Portage Northern High School graduate to take top honors in her sport for several years running.
Angelina鈥檚 Achievements:
- Two-time High School Division 2 State Champion in the 500 Free 2020 & 2021
- Two-time MISCA Dream Team in the 500 Free 2020 & 2021 (Fastest High School swimmer in all divisions including D1, D2 & D3 Michigan)
- Michigan State Record Holder in Division 2 in the 500 Free (2021)
- All-American 2021 in the 500 Free
Angelina grew up swimming for the Greater Kalamazoo Crocs and swam for Portage Northern before starting college this fall as a freshman at Oakland University, Rochester. She recently took some time to share her strategy with us before heading off to college.
Angelina, what are your personal goals for your future in swimming?聽
Angelina Baker: I鈥檓 thrilled that I have recently reached my goal to swim in college and will swim in Division 1 at Oakland University. My goal now is to continue to work hard, improve my times and help Oakland continue their streak of winning the Horizon League Conference.
What鈥檚 the biggest challenge in your sport, and how do you manage it?聽
Baker: The biggest challenge in the last few years has been finding a pool to practice in. My club team has struggled to get pool time, so we have had to swim in several pools over the years. During the pandemic, we had nowhere to practice. I knew I had to keep swimming, so I bought a wetsuit and started swimming several miles a day in Austin Lake, with water temperatures typically around 50 degrees.
As the pandemic progressed and the winter of 2020 approached, my team and I buckled up as we faced the biggest obstacle of our lives. We only had one option: to keep swimming. We knew we couldn鈥檛 give up on our goals, so we swam outside at our local country club all winter. Throughout my life, I have practiced in many different pools, from local middle and high school pools to swimming outdoors and traveling to other states. Through all the ups and downs, my coach has always been there for our team, fighting for pool time and doing everything in his power to make sure our team can practice so we can achieve our goals. Throughout my 13 years of swimming, I have realized that nothing can stop me from achieving my goals and that I will always find a way to practice, even if it requires a wetsuit.
What was the best advice you ever received?
Baker: 鈥淗ard work and dedication will get you where you want to go.鈥� –Coach Ty Parker
What do you love about your sport?聽
Baker: I love how swimming is both a team sport and an individualized one. I love coming to practice every day and working hard with my teammates to reach our goals. My swim team is my family. We have been through several ups and downs, but we overcame them as a family, no matter the obstacle. In swimming, we all train together every day for hours at a time, pushing each other every step of the way so we can reach our goals at our championship meet. It鈥檚 amazing to have that connection with your team, which is something I will be forever thankful for. I love swimming because I truly enjoy coming to practice every day, working my butt off, and seeing the results that follow from my dedication to my sport. But, at the end of the day, you鈥檙e the one that is diving into the pool trying to beat your own time, not your teammate.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?聽
Baker: 鈥淵our body achieves what the mind believes.鈥� –Coach Ty Parker
What is an important lesson you鈥檝e learned as a student-athlete?
Baker: As a student-athlete, you have to dedicate a significant amount of time to practice to improve your skills and overall physique while still devoting time to studying to stay on top of educational endeavors. As an athlete, I have chosen to commit myself to swimming six days a week, twice a day, because the benefits I gain from a full schedule greatly outweigh the things I miss by being at practice. In addition, I have personally benefited from being involved in many activities. From club swimming to high school swimming, lifeguarding to private lessons, volunteering, and leadership roles at school, including the National Honors Society, all have shaped me into the student-athlete I am today.
I can confidently say that I wouldn鈥檛 be who I am if it weren鈥檛 for my experiences and commitment to my activities. I have learned what hard work means and the payoff you get from it. Having to divide my time among many activities and still succeed is no easy task, but I鈥檝e mastered time management, a skill that will help me in college and my career in the future. I have gained mental toughness and self-discipline and have learned how to function on a team while working with different groups of people towards a common goal.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?聽聽
Baker: Eating dinner at Texas Roadhouse the night before a big meet. I always get the smothered chicken with a baked potato and corn. Other than that, a positive mindset and motivating myself, knowing I鈥檝e worked extremely hard and that my body is ready, and now I need to get my mind ready.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?聽
Baker: Outside of swimming, I love to bake and cook. I enjoy making food for my family, such as cinnamon rolls, cookies, croissants, and stromboli. I have a great relationship with my family and am very close to my cousins, so I love spending time with them. Even when I鈥檓 done practicing, I always find my way back to the water one way or another, whether it be practicing, laying out and enjoying the sun, or giving private swim lessons. I have discovered that my new passion is teaching little kids how to swim, so I also coach swim lessons at Greater Kalamazoo Crocs.
What are you grateful for?
Baker: I’m extremely lucky to have had such an amazing coach who moved mountains for us, so we were able to swim. Having a coach who believed in me, pushed me, trained me in swimming and taught me so many valuable life lessons has been an extreme blessing. I wouldn’t be the swimmer/student athlete I am today without Coach Ty Parker by my side. I am so grateful to my coach, my family, my friends, my teammates, and to those who have always supported me.
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