Past Races

Amanda Janszen

Bossier City, Louisiana

I have grown up swimming since age 7. I was a college swimmer who was never really able to walk away from my first love - the pool. Despite having a shoulder dislocation and injury in high school, I have worked hard to maintain my health in order to continue to compete. I am an avid "pool swimmer", but have dabbled in open water races as well, and loved it! I am 35 years old and am currently a USMS and USA registered swimmer. I do compete at both the USMS and USA level. I am also a USA swimming official, YMCA swimming official, Top Ten chair for the Ohio LMSC, and Officials chair for the Southern LMSC in masters swimming. I am a full-time physical therapist, wife, and "dog-mom”.

I have had some success in the pool in masters swimming. I am a multi-time YMCA national champion, YMCA masters national record holder, and am a 26-time USMS All-American. My #1 rankings have come in the butterfly and IM events, and most recently a couple breaststroke events! I was also the USMS All-Star for my age group in 2021

I love being around my teammates and coaches at practices and at meets, and I very much enjoy the "process" of training! Swimming keeps me young and motivated!



My "Why" Statement:

"Why do you swim so much?"... I still hear that all the time, and my go-to answer used to be "'Obsessed' is the word the lazy use to describe the dedicated". But that does not encompass all the reasons I still wake up at 4am every day for some pool time. The obvious answers come to mind - I love the rush of competition, I value my health, and I love spending time with friends young and old that I have made through this wonderful sport.

But maybe a deeper reason that I swim is selfish. The water is the only place during my day that I can be absolutely free. I'm free of judgement, and not limited by others' goals, agendas, or ideas of how I'm "supposed" to be. In many areas of my life, most specifically my job as a physical therapist, I place way too much pressure on myself to try to please others or take care of others. The silence and individuality of the water, and control I have over my swimming, has allowed me to have a "constant" in my life that I do for ME. Even the silence of the drive to the pool in the dark, or the silence of my hotel room after finals of a meet, are things I look forward to daily and long-term.

I race for myself, I compete for myself, and I train daily for myself. The goals I have are mine - including my goal to set a USMS record in the 200 fly sometime in my 70s! And I do believe this self-preservation will help me be the best version of "Amanda" that I can be for my family, friends, and patients.