Davenport Central swimmer Phoenix Jackson has cerebral palsy, but that is not stopping the junior from continuing to swim with her undefeated Blue Devil teammates.
The Central swim team has many super swimmers, no question about it.
They also have a very determined and impressive young lady in Jackson.
Poolside is Jackson’s happy place, and that’s where Our Quad Cities Sports caught up with her.
“Absolutely wonderful — the team is fantastic — it’s absolutely wonderful,” Jackson said. “The team is fantastic and incredibly welcoming as I joined this year. … I just love being in the water and how it feels … very powerful.”
Jackson is an inspiration to many as she gives it her best effort.
“It’s a lot of fun, and I love how much my team values me, and how much I am able to do in competition and it’s very rewarding to build muscle and to swim as fast as I can,” Jackson said.
Jackson has a message for those looking to find that determination and test themselves.
“I think perseverance is very important and I think that realistically you put all your effort in as much as you can while it’s happening and then you’re done. It’s over and you’ve accomplished something no matter how well you did.”
Swimming competitively is a shift for Jackson, but she’s always enjoyed being in the water.
“I have been doing aquatic physical therapy for a lot of my life and my I grew up with a pool in my backyard,” Jackson said. “So swimming is very important to me to keep up with my mobility and it’s one of the few physical activities that I can do comfortably, and I very much appreciate that.”
According to Jackson, there’s no place better than being in the pool.
“It’s probably one of the happiest times of my day honestly, especially learning to weightlift this year and how much that has improved my swimming — it’s really fantastic,” Jackson said.
