Helen Chen has been contributing in the pool since she joined the High School South girls swim team two years ago.
Now the junior has stepped up her role with the Pirates as a team captain. She has fallen back on her own memories as a source of how to lead best.
“I like keeping the program energy together and I think the seniors my freshman year did a really good job,” Chen said. “I think I should contribute to giving the freshmen the same experience that I had.”
Chen wasn’t sure what to expect when she joined the South team two years ago. She had been a club swimmer for years and that had helped give her a swimming base. What she discovered with the high school team was something new.
“Personally, I think high school is a really fun and rewarding experience and club is very much focused on getting fast times and everything,” Chen said. “Sometimes people, especially me, feel a little tired and burnt out, but I like swimming high school.”
It’s become an important part of her life, and each year she’s gained responsibility. She has always been a staple in the Pirates lineup since her freshman year.
She’s been able to contribute at the highest level meets, and her third season got off to a promising start for a South team that has big expectations coming off a 12-2 season. Chen needed only the first week of the 2024-2025 season to hit the qualifying standard for the Meet of Champions in the 100-yard butterfly.
“That’s super exciting because last year we only took boys, so it’s nice to get at least one girl this early in the season,” said Pirates coach Jessica Bidwell. “Helen is a junior and she was chosen also this year as a captain for our team, which I think just kind of says a lot in what people think about in the title of a captain.”
Bidwell said that not only is Chen a “super powerful swimmer,” but she also pointed to the positive energy that she brings to the team.
“She really represents what we hold in value as Pirate swimming,” the coach said.
It’s a mutually symbiotic relationship. Chen has grown more and more attached to the program. It’s given her plenty through her first two years, and she has tried to share her passion for swimming and for the Pirates team with their newcomers. Her goals for this year are a reflection of her devotion to the team and to desire for self-improvement.
“Team wise probably to keep the essence of a record and also just to keep the team energy and spirit going,” she said. “And for me individually I’d probably say I want to get faster times in my main events and hopefully win counties this year.”
Chen was the top scorer for the Pirates at last year’s Mercer County Championships. In one of the toughest counties in the state, she placed second in the fly and third in the 50 freestyle and was a part of the bronze medal-winning 200 freestyle relay to contribute 103.0 points.
“She’s always just really working hard towards her swimming,” said Bidwell. “She knows she definitely has some goals in mind individually. Her personality has come out a little more, which is why we thought she would be great in the captain role.
“A lot of kids look up to her, respond to her, want to be around her. She definitely is a powerful swimmer, but I never feel that she’s cocky. She’s always willing to take feedback, and then she applies it to her races.”
Chen came to the Pirates with a strong swim base that has been developed through the Princeton Tiger Aquatics club. She has continued to train with the club team plus contribute wherever asked for the high school team. Chen has been pleased with how she’s been able to help in her first two seasons with the Pirates.
“They’ve been pretty good,” she said. “I think I’m pretty proud of myself. One really surprising moment I had personally was last year at counties where I dropped a pretty good time in the 1 fly and I was pretty proud of myself.”
Chen focuses on butterfly and backstroke, and also does sprint freestyle.
“She’s very versatile,” Bidwell said. “We can kind of put her anywhere. I move my lineup around and try to give kids a lot of variety in what they swim, and I think that’s important, especially for all of our kids who swim for club teams. You go to club meet and, let’s say you’re a butterflier, you know when you go to a meet you’re swimming butterfly.
“I know they’re getting that with club, we can monitor their times there. But sometimes it’s nice to break away from what your normal stroke is, and you also never know down the line if there’s a team you’re swimming where you might need spots to fill and having a versatile swimmer like Helen allows you that movement in your lineup to hopefully have a strong outcome.”
South had a strong first week to their season. They picked up a 91-79 win over always competitive Robbinsville, topped Lawrence by 32 points, and finished off the week with a 99-71 win over rival High School North.
In the win over North, Chen showed some of her versatility with a win in the 200 individual medley as well as the 100 fly, and was a part of the winning 200 medley relay that kicked off the meet.
Margaret Lockman won the 200 freestyle and 500 free against North, Melisa Kocak won the 50 free and 100 backstroke, and Isabela Saldivia won the 100 free a and 100 breaststroke. The early results give the Pirates a bright outlook.
“I think we’re just as good as last year,” Chen said. “I think after last year we were all a little bit worried because we were losing two of our seniors that were two of our fastest swimmers. We got a lot of new freshmen this year that will really help.”
Now Chen tries to share her wisdom with the swimmers new to high school. The Pirates have a number of freshmen, but also welcomed some swimmers who had left the program before coming back to it this year. It wasn’t so long ago that Chen was a freshman herself.
“I think it was really fun,” Chen said. “High school swimming is really different from club swimming. My first year, I remember it being a really fun experience because it’s not like club swimming. There’s more of a team energy. So for me I just learned to like the sport more my freshman year.”
For that, she credits the team leaders at the time. And now she’s trying to follow their example.
“I felt like my freshman year the seniors did a really good job with this, so I tried to continue it,” Chen said. “I always make sure to try to meet all the new swimmers, know their names, talk to them, say good luck before their races, also make sure they all have someone to sit with, and answer any questions if needed.”
She is helping to carry on traditions like making “Pirate magic” before the county meet and exchanging gifts with the boys team and hosting team psyche parties. Chen has a bigger role in organizing and leading those traditions this year. She has more responsibility with every aspect.
“I lead cheers as captain,” Chen said. “And now this year I also have to make sure swimmers get in for warm-up, do the warm-up and also I’m calling the sets.”
She appreciates being a big part of the South team, and embraces the team policy that requires that club swimmers come to some high school practices, not just show up for meets. That ensures that they’re getting involved and connected with the high school-only swimmers.
She can share knowledge with the high school swimmers too. Chen juggles that with her club swimming and school commitments.
“It does get pretty tough at times, because of school work also,” she said. “And I get home pretty late, but I think I just try to manage my time as best as I can, like in school and get all my work done then.”
Chen is a strong student, and enjoys challenging herself in math in her spare time. She also uses her leisure time as a good way to relieve the stress of swimming and school.
“I usually like going on walks while it’s sunset or maybe a little later in the evening,” she said. “It feels nice and it’s peaceful.”
It won’t be peaceful on January 4 when “The Bubble” at South is alive with the cheers of teams at the Pirate Invitational to start the month. Then they finish the month with the Mercer County finals slated for January 25 at host North. Having a veteran like Helen Chen who is willing to offer advice and be a leader in keeping the Pirates culture will be a big help in those significant meets.
“She’s always willing to help, she’s super involved with everything,” Bidwell said. “And she always does it with a smile on her face, which then just in turn kind of makes everyone want to smile back at her. We’re excited to see her in that role this year as a junior stepping up alongside a couple of our seniors to represent the captains on the girls side.”
WW-P High School South swimmer Helen Chen.,
