Meet Zoe Mitchell: Odyssey Swimmer Profile

“I swim because it’s something I can do to push myself to be different and it helps me sort out my thoughts.” -- Zoe Mitchell

Zoe Mitchell, a self-described Latin-geek, loves pushing herself in and out of the water. She wakes up Sunday mornings preparing to join an Odyssey Sunday Berkeley swim with pancakes, putting on a wetsuit, and walking to the Berkeley Marina. “After I swim, I walk home, get a pep talk from my dad, take a shower, and eat noodles before proceeding with my day ... or maybe taking a nap,” Zoe says.

We interviewed Zoe for our new Odyssey Open Water Swimming profile series. She shared her tips, routine, and why she swims with Odyssey Open Water.  

Out of The Water

Zoe stays active by participating in school activities, sports, and more. When Zoe isn’t in the water, she’s “either at school, reading or drawing, rowing at crew, or at basketball practice...or eating and sleeping which are favorites.”

Swim Tips

A great piece of advice for swimming and life, Zoe says to “take your swim one stroke at a time, try to not over-analyze what you’re doing.” She also says not to give yourself constraints. “Set goals to work up to that some people would call ridiculous or too ambitious, because one day you’ll find yourself accomplishing that goal,” Zoe continues.

When asked about the best swim of her life, Zoe points to her first Odyssey Alcatraz swim or when she first swam a sub-30-minute mile. With goals from swimming the Bridge to Bridge swim to rowing a “1:50 split 4k,” Zoe believes she has much left to accomplish. She also hopes to find more people to participate in friendly competitions with her.

Why Join Odyssey Open Water Swimming?

“You should join Odyssey because it’s a great little community to learn in and you can find people who inspire you to become a stronger swimmer than you imagine you could be,” says Zoe. There is no membership required to join us for a swim. Weekly swims are designed for swimmers of all levels of experience and priced affordably. Learn more and join Zoe on our next swim by visiting the Weekly Swim page here.