Rutherford Weekly

ISSUE NO. 10 • March 9, 2023 ISSUE NO. 10 • March 9, 2023 • • RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 Our Spring Around Your Home Edition! Weekly newspapers remain the preferred media source for trustworthy, reliable information and advertising, ranking highest among mediums people use to plan for shopping. A study by Newspaper Association of America found nearly 80% of adults acted on a call to visit a local store after seeing an ad in the last month. W t h A a a Call Today! 828-248-1408 TARGETED ADVERTISING THAT WORKS FOR YOU! 828-248-1408 828-248-1408 Our 31 st Year • Over 25,000 Weekly Readers Jenna Bridges heading to the NCAA next week Jenna Bridges, a former Chase Trojan swim team champion, recently broke records as a member of the Louisiana State University (LSU) women's swim team. As a participant in the 200-yard butterfl y championship fi nal, she overtook four swimmers during the fi nal 50 yards to take home the third individual gold medal of the meet for the LSU team. She fi nished with a school record time of 1:54.18. The previous time was held by Kara Kopcso in 2016. "It was an unbelievable race," said the 19-year-old daughter of Cyrstal and Jeff Bridges of Forest City. "It feels unbelievable that I am a school record holder in both the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard butterfl y. "Records are great benchmarks when it comes to looking at how a program has improved," said Jenna, an LSU sophomore. "In the past year and a half, LSU has managed to knock down countless school records, and I think it's a testament to how far the team has come under new leadership as well as the direction that our team is headed in." Since breaking the record Jenna has received congratulatory remarks on Facebook, including one from Chivous Bradley, "Jenna Bridges 500 BFreestyle LSU all time record and SEC Conference Champion. You do Chase High School and Rutherford County Proud. Outstanding performance!" While at Chase High School, Jenna won her fi rst North Carolina High School Association of Athletics (NCHSAA) championship in the 100- yard butterfl y as a sophomore. She defended her title both junior and senior year while also competing in the 500-yard freestyle all three years. "It was an honor to represent the Trojans at the state level," Jenna said. "High school swim season was always so much fun, I look back on the bus rides, post-meet Chic- fi l-a nuggets and relay races with nostalgia." While at Chase, Jenna's parents were among her coaches. "I'm fortunate that they got to be a part of mine and my sisters high school swimming careers in such an intimate way." During the high school swim season, her parents served primarily as a source of constant encouragement and motivation, "Having my parents around as her high school swim coaches reminded Jenna of the sacrifi ces they made throughout my life, especially during high school, "so that I could compete with my team in South Carolina." She was a member of the Y-Spartaquatics Swim Club. She said her parents never complained about driving her to swim practice an hour from home at 3:30 a.m. and they never complained when it was time to go back to practice for the second time in a day when they would arrive home at 9 p.m. "My parents never seemed to tire of helping me achieve my goals, they ran on a battery of love. When I saw my parents on the pool deck during high school swim season, I swam for them," she said. Jenna's coaches at LSU are quite different, "but in a good way." As Division I SEC swim coaches, Jenna said the coaches have high expectations for their athletes. "My coaches have pushed me every day to reach new heights that I never thought would be possible. Rick Bishop, LSU's head coach, always encourages myself and my teammates to be professional athletes—to take on the responsibility of our own success. My coaches have helped my confi dence in the pool immensely. On top of that, they encourage me to be a leader on the team, despite being an underclassmen." Jenna has been swimming since she was three years old. She started year-round swimming at age fi ve. Swimming has been a part of Jenna's life for as long as she can remember. "Honestly, it is a part of who I am. To say I have not had my ups and downs with the sport would be a lie. However, I've never lost the genuine love for the sport. While it's easy to get caught up in being tired or worn out, I've never lost sight of the fact that, for me, swimming is a God- given gift. Continued on page 3. Story by Jean Gordon; contributed photos LSU record breaker in swimming LSU record breaker in swimming was first a star at Chase High was first a star at Chase High Jenna Bridges swimming to college record.

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