JP Hynes is the new swim coach at Skyline Senior High and he’s more than just a great swimmer—he’s qualified for the Olympic Trials!
Hynes started swimming at age five and swam competitively in high school and college at the University of Utah. He specializes in freestyle and backstroke (backstroke being one of his favorite strokes). He has swum in over 150 meets and has competed for five different teams which helped him gain an incredible amount of experience. Along with swimming, he also enjoys several other sports, including rock climbing and hiking.
Swimming has been one of Hynes’ passions since a young age. When asked why he swims, he said, “It’s what I got into when I was younger and the only thing I knew really, and, at the end of the day, I could just hop in the water and forget about my problems.”
Hynes is excited to be the new swim coach at Skyline and is especially excited about the new facilities. The pool at Skyline is one of the nicest pools he’s seen for athletes, especially for high school athletes. If he could change something, though, he would add backstroke wedges, as someone who used to be a backstroker himself. When asked what he wanted his students to know about him, he said, “I guess I was never given anything, and I had to work for everything. I hope they realize that everything in their life is not a guarantee, and I’ve been where they are at, and they can do it.”
As an athlete who qualified for the Olympic Trials, Hynes advises other young athletes who want to follow in his footsteps to work as hard as they can and always give their best. “There are no shortcuts,” he said. “You gotta do what you can every day, just work hard, give it your best, and don’t leave anything in the pool at the end of practice.”
Qualifying for the Olympic Trials is a rigorous process and not for the faint-hearted. To get where he is today, Hynes said lots of early mornings were key, and he had to sacrifice some things along the way of his swim journey. Despite his trials though, he would do it all over again if he could.
After the Olympic Trials and attending the University of Utah, Hynes decided to come to Skyline to coach. He was inspired to do this because he loves swimming and he wanted to continue his swim career differently, by helping other young athletes achieve their dreams.
Hynes is much admired by the Skyline swim teams. Olivia Coleman, who swims on the JV team, said, “JP is an amazing coach and the best coach I’ve ever had. He cares about all of the team a lot and I am so grateful that I have him to teach me.” Another JV member, Ryan Oliver, stated, “He is really nice. He keeps me motivated and compliments me which makes me feel really good about myself.” Addie Randall, from the JV/Varsity team, said, “He pushes you to your limit and wants you to become a better swimmer.”
Hynes is helping all the swimmers he is training to become great athletes. He advised other athletes, saying, “One day your journey in athletics will be over, so give it everything you got. Don’t take the experience for granted because one day you will be 22-23 and be like, gosh I miss this.”
