School: Norristown
Swimming
Favorite athlete: Asante Samuel
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning my first race in the 100 butterfly
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Watching my teammate belly flop off the block during a race.
Music on iPod: Shinedown, Alter Bridge, Audioslave, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Seether
Future plans: Go to college at Penn State University and major in Business; graduate after four years in college and start my career in the business world.
Words to live by: ‘Be the best you can be.’
One goal before turning 30: Become a successful entrepreneur for a sporting goods business that I hope to start.
One thing people don’t know about me: I’m not as quiet as you think…
By Alex Frazier
Success can be measured in various ways.
For some athletes, success is nothing less than winning a state medal.
For others, qualifying for districts is a commendable accomplishment.
And for others, doing your best every time you compete is satisfaction enough.
Norristown’s Jon Pigeon falls into the third category.
As swimmers go, he started late. Eleventh grade, to be exact.
Most competitive swimmers have been flailing around in the water since they could walk, so it’s not surprising that Pigeon didn’t qualify for states or even make it to districts.
But that’s not to say he wasn’t successful, particularly given the time frame.
Pigeon began to consider swimming late in his sophomore year. His only other sport had been football, which he played in middle school.
He had done some swimming during summers, but never competitively.
“I wanted to test out my abilities to see if I could actually do well in a swimming sport,” he said.
When he started in 11th grade, he swam the 50 freestyle and the 500 free, a dreaded event for sprinters. Not only did Pigeon swim it, he didn’t gripe about it.
“He never complained,” said Norristown coach Derek Hartman. “Anybody could swim the 50 free. If I had meets that made sense to adjust our lineup, I could throw a diver in the 50 free, and he would do the 500 and not complain at all. It definitely wasn’t his favorite, but he had the stamina to finish it.”
One meet he even finished second on the team.
“He actually looked pretty good for not being a distance swimmer,” said Hartman.
“I always like helping the team out in any circumstance,” Pigeon said. “It wouldn’t matter too much to me.”
This year Pigeon picked up the 100 butterfly, a technically very difficult event, for the first time. Hartman had seen him swim all his strokes in pre-season and decided that he might make a good butterflyer.
“It was pretty tough, particularly being used to doing freestyle,” said Pigeon. “It took a little while to get used to, but I finally got the hang of it, as much as it did physically tire me for the rest of the meet. I was glad that I at least was able to get it done. My times definitely improved from day one.”
“Jon was very versatile,” said Hartman. “Typically I could plop him in anywhere I needed him. If I told him that I needed to put him in something he didn’t typically swim - if I needed him for that particular meet, he would do it.”
While Pigeon didn’t qualify for districts, his times did dramatically drop in his two years in the pool.
When he first started, his times in the 50 free hovered in the low 28 seconds. This year was in the upper 25s by the league meet.
By the end of the season, he even earned a spot on the ‘A’ 200 freestyle relay.
“His goal was always to do his personal best,” said Hartman. “He did. He dropped a lot of time over the season.”
Hartman couldn’t have been more pleased with the way Piegon developed in just two short years.
“It’s phenomenal to me,” he said. “I would never have expected that. I feel pleased with the way he tapered and the way he finished the season. He worked really hard, probably one of the hardest working guys on the team. He was definitely a bright spot on the team.”
Although he wasn’t a captain by name, Pigeon set an example for his teammates.
“He definitely led the team just the same as our two captains did,” said Hartman. “I never had to worry about whether he was swimming as hard as he could. He was extremely coachable. He cared about motivating the other swimmers around him.”
Pigeon can’t say enough about his swimming experience.
“It was a great two years,” he said. “I really enjoyed them. We did have a good two years as a team. That made it even better.”
As much as the swimming, he also enjoyed the camaraderie.
“It definitely improved friendships with ones I was already friends with, and I developed (friendships) with people I didn’t even know,” he said. “It was helpful on both sides of that.”
His only regret is that he didn’t start sooner.
“I wish I would have done it in ninth grade,” he said. “I would have gotten a lot better than I did now.”
To which Hartman would agree.
“I wish I had 20 Jon Pigeon’s on the team,” he said. “He doesn’t ask twice. If you tell him to train in something, he does it even it might not feel right or he doesn’t get it at the time. He had a real good attitude the whole season.”
Pigeon would like to swim in college if he had the opportunity, but that prospect is dim given his college choices. He has been accepted at both Penn State and Temple and is in the throes of making a decision.
As a student, Pigeon excels. He is ranked 13th out of a senior class of 500 and has been in the honors track since he was a freshman. He is currently taking AP statistics and politics and government.
He plans on majoring in business. When he entered Norristown as a freshman, he chose business as his small learning community.
“For four years I took business classes and began liking it so I kept my focus on being a business major in college,” he said. “I’m glad I at least have experience so it won’t be a new thing.”
He is also a chapter officer in the Distributive Education Club of America, a business club that focuses on marketing, hospitality and finance. Club members compete at the state and national levels in written exams and role-playing. Though he may not have made states in swimming, he did so in DECA.
“It gives you a taste of the real business world,” said Pigeon. “It’s good training that has helped me with the business experience.”
He is also a member of the Italian Club. His mother was born and raised in Italy.
While Pigeon has a lot to look forward to in the next four years, he will always fondly remember the last two years of high school swimming.
“I’m glad I picked swimming,” he said. “It was one of the greatest experiences in high school. I had a good time and really enjoyed it.”
