15 minutes with Mitchell Wilcox, Ada High School sophomore

Note: Mitchell recently competed in the Ohio High School Athletic Association state swim meet in Canton. Watch the Ada Icon for a story on Ada’s team results at the state meet.

Mitchell, tell me what classes you are taking this semester.
Advance English, U.S. History, Algebra II, Chemistry, Ceramics II and Computer Tech. I’m also a member of the swim, cross country and track teams.

What would you like to do after high school?
My goal at the moment is to attend the University of Florida and compete in swimming.

How often do you swim during swim season?
Usually twice a day during weekdays and one time on weekends. I’m in practices about 13 times a week, each one from 1 ½ to 2 hours. I swim at the Lima YMCA and the Ohio Northern University swimming pool. I really enjoy swimming.

How about your running schedule?
During the off-season, if I have time I run about five miles a week. Track continuing starts on Feb. 26.

What’s your favorite subject in school?
Chemistry.

What are you doing at the moment in Ceramics?
Throwing face jugs. That’s when you make a cone and put a face on it.

What do you do when you aren’t in school, swimming or running?
There’s not a lot of time, but I watch Net Flicks. I watch action movies.

What’s your favorite and worst movie of all time?
My favorite is probably “Warrior.” I’ve seen it about five times. The worst, probably “Safe Haven.” It was too much of a chick flick. I fell asleep in the theater.

Tell me about your first-ever tee-peeing experience.
When I was 11, my brother and sister and I tee-peed my grandparents when they were out of town. They got us back. They tee-peed our rooms.

Since you like swimming so much, what are your thoughts on the 2016 Olympics?
I’ll be a freshman in college and I’d really like to try out for the swimming time trials. I’d enter the 200 individual medleys.

Have you ever thought about your swimming endurance and wondered how far you could swim without getting fatigued?

I’ve never tried it, but I think I could go 80 miles. 

Your brother, Matthew, is older than you and is also a swimmer. What’s it like having another swimmer in the family?

He has a different view of swimming that I do. He does it to stay in shape. We get along more than half the time. We compete against each other; we also are always thinking of improving each other.

Let’s talk about music. How many tunes are on your IPod?
Right now there are 1,023. I have classic rock, hip-hop and rap, but no country.
Mac Miller is the top rapper I have, which includes about 200 tunes.

How many stations do you have on Pandora Radio?
Probably 40.

If you could drive any vehicle, what would be your choice?
(Pause) A jet black 1969 Mustang.

Thanks for talking with us and maybe we’ll see you in the 2016 Olympics.