LAPLACE — Jacob Jensen really didn’t have a choice about being a swimmer.

When your mom has been a swimmer for pretty much her whole life, including a stint at LSU, and then she becomes the local swim coach and you have no choice but to tag along to the pool, it’s pretty much a given.

“I’ve been swimming since I was 3,” the 17-year-old Jensen said.

He is not the only one.

Dozens of youngsters between 4 and 18 from across St. John the Baptist Parish are jumping in to the summer swim season this month.

The Larayo Barracudas and the Riverlands Stingrays compete in the River Parish Swim League, which includes teams from Hill Heights in Destrehan, Sun Villa in Norco, Ellington in Luling and LaVacherie in Vacherie.

The team competition begins Thursday and will culminate with the annual Invitational Meet to be held July 8-10 at Hill Heights in Destrehan.

The Belle Terre Piranhas will be competing for the first time in the Jefferson Community Club Association, which includes Cypress Lakes, West Gate, Green Acres, Bissonet-Maned Downs, Elmwood, Terrytown and Lakeside.

Summer swim competition is an age-old tradition in the River Parishes. Michelle Jensen, Jacob’s mom, has been involved with Larayo Swimming for nearly 30 years, first as a swimmer, then as a volunteer and now as the team’s coach. Her four sons naturally tagged along.

“They were like my little chicks,” she said. “They really didn’t have a choice.”

Although the area does boast several youngsters who compete for state and even national rankings, Jensen is not one of those. He has enough on his plate.

In his senior year at St. Charles Catholic, Jensen played football and swam for the school. He was a district champion and state qualifier in the 50-freestyle event.

In the spring Jensen played baseball and golf.

He was part of the team that finished as the Division III state champion. Last month the school named him Mr. Comet for his athletic multi-tasking.

He will spend this summer swimming, golfing and playing American Legion baseball.

“Last year I would have a golf tournament and then I would have a swim meet that night,” Jensen said.
He said he did get tired.

“A little bit,” he said. “But it was fun.”

Lindsey Vicknair is carrying on a tradition begun by her grandmother, Janet Hymel, a generation ago at Riverlands.

This is Vicknair’s  ninth summer as coach of the Stingrays, who get initiated onto the team with a surprise array of signs and lawn ornaments informing the “victim” that they have “been stung.”

“I grew up at Riverlands,” Vicknair said. “My coach was Rachel and I always wanted to be just like Rachel. I love swimming and I get to share my passion with 100 other little kids.”

The Belle Terre team is moving on from back-to-back summers of turmoil.

After a breakthrough summer of 2014, when the team bounced back from a 1-5 2013, into major contenders, Belle Terre left the River Parish League.  Last summer they swam as independents; this year the team has joined the Jefferson Parish league, which will take them into July with seven meets.

The season will end with a Meet of Champs July 18-22 at Belle Terre.

“We are very excited,” coach Blaine Tatje said. “We’re really looking forward to the new competition.”

The Belle Terre Piranahs also will have a “friendly competition” against Gramercy June 16.