Janine Pleasant's Love of Swimming Lifts Others Up

It all started with Janine Pleasant was four years old. She began taking swim lessons at a local pool and fell in love with the sport of swimming. And she hasn’t stopped striving to improve her technique since. Over the course of her life, she has shared her love of swimming through coaching. From young children to adults and beginners to elite triathletes, she has coached all ages and skill levels.

For the last 5 years, Janine has coached the ETSU NCAA Division 1 Women’s Triathlon Team. Though she has just retired, she continues to teach individual swim lessons locally and supports USA Triathlon as a Level II coach.

Janine has a passion for coaching. This comes from both her personal will to improve as well as her desire to help others meet their goals. Whether those goals are to shave seconds off a competition time or simply become more confident in their ability to self-rescue, Janine is committed to helping them accomplish their goals. As a coach, Janine says some of the most profound moments she gets to experience are found in the pure joy her students have when they hit those goals, no matter what they are.

Janine understands how swimming can challenge both body and mind. No matter how many other swimmers are in the pool with her, she is alone with only her breathing and her thoughts once she is in the water. Janine states that the solitude she experiences while swimming is one of the top reasons she loves the sport. For her, it’s a great opportunity for self-reflection.

All of us want to leave a legacy behind. For Janine, she hopes her legacy is one of passion – for swimming, for self-improvement, and for helping others on their journey. Like ripples in the water, Janine’s zeal for life and determination to share her passion will have lasting effects on her students and teams for a long time.