Ohlsson Skaret’s upbringing is more atypical than most. His father is in the diplomatic service, and so, while Virginia is home, he’s spent most of his life abroad. They are currently stationed in Paraguay, a country about which I knew little before we talked.
“What’s the culture like there?” I asked.
“It’s really libertarian,” Ohlsson said. “And there’s little to no crime. A few years ago, someone’s phone got stolen and it made the news because that’s so unusual.”
Ohlsson further explained that diplomacy in South America is primarily done in the home. The Skarets regularly host his father’s business contacts for dinner, and the whole family gets to interact with them. He’s even met one of the judges who helped draft Paraguay’s constitution. Whenever they host these officials, Ohlsson asks them as many questions as possible.
“I always try to learn,” he says.
Ohlsson summed up his whole personality in those five words.
Just Keep Swimming
Ohlsson is a competitive swimmer, something which featured prominently in his Student of the Year application. I asked him what his ambitions were, and he frankly expressed his dream of swimming the 200-meter medley at the Olympics.
“In LA?” I asked.
“No, I don’t think I’ll be at the qualifying time by then,” he answered. “Maybe Brisbane in 2032. But I’m improving fast.”
That’s an understatement. Ohlsson’s only been swimming for a few years and he’s already (as of this writing) ranked 12th in Paraguay. He’s always been athletic and, after trying multiple sports (soccer, horseback riding, and jiu jitsu just to name a few), swimming is the first one to light that competitive fire.
“After my first competition, I got out of the water and said, ‘I want to win,’” Ohlsson remembers.
“Swimming is a gift,” Ohlsson said. “I swim to celebrate that gift.”
Ohlsson comes off as rather soft spoken and contemplative, which is not always our first image of an elite athlete. He is confident but also relaxed—or, quite frankly, even retiring. The Olympics is a big goal. It will require an immense amount of work. Somehow, I can’t imagine he’s just doing it for the glory. So, I asked him: why the Olympics? Ohlsson paused before answering.
“It’s not for the medal,” he said. “A medal is just a medal. I only swim because it makes Jesus happy.”
Ohlsson recalls a recent race when another swimmer was bawling after a bad time. Ohlsson reassured him that this was just one moment. There’s no need to be so upset. God has a big plan.
“Swimming is a gift,” Ohlsson said. “I swim to celebrate that gift.”
Jack of All Trades
With the Olympics as his lofty goal, you probably imagine Ohlsson is a focused specialist who never takes his eye off the prize. And yet, that’s not true at all. I already mentioned he plays and enjoys several sports. For Ohlsson, variety is the rule, not the exception.
We talked extensively about his love for chemistry, for instance, which he assured me has only grown through HSLDA’s classes. He hopes to study chemistry in college (while swimming at the collegiate level, of course), and has his eye on a pharmacy internship in Paraguay. Chemistry shows how the created order works together, which fascinates Ohlsson and made him fall in love with science this school year.
But when I asked Ohlsson if he prefers math / science to English / history, he didn’t concur. Instead, he went on and on about how much he loves history, especially World War II history. I recommended two history podcasts, and he eagerly wrote down their names. His enthusiasm for history rivaled his love for science and mathematics.
In a similar vein, Ohlsson also plays the guitar. He explained that his whole family is musical. He doesn’t particularly like classical music, but he loves playing worship songs, especially at church.
Throughout our conversation, Ohlsson resisted being pigeonholed into any specific box. It’s not because of some adolescent annoyance with “labels” or a distracted refusal to commit. This is just who Ohlsson is—eager, thoughtful, curious, and peaceful.
I was still a little baffled. How can someone sincerely enjoy so many things at once? And while training for the Olympics, on top of that?
“I think it’s bad to focus only on swimming. That’s how you burn out,” explains Ohlsson. “It’s important to take my mind off swimming. As my coach says, ‘We care but we don’t worry.’”
Throughout our conversation, Ohlsson resisted being pigeonholed into any specific box. It’s not because of some adolescent annoyance with “labels” or a distracted refusal to commit. This is just who Ohlsson is—eager, thoughtful, curious, and peaceful.
It’s that last attribute which is the most notable. Anxiety is almost a cliché for Ohlsson’s generation. In recent years, even many Olympic athletes have spoken about how pressure to perform affects their mental health. But Ohlsson doesn’t seem bothered by that possibility—or perhaps more accurately, he’s cultivated serenity, which flows from a mature acceptance of his own frailty.
This openness to possibilities and dependence on God’s providence allows Ohlsson to feel the peace which knows no understanding.
The Glory and the Dream
In a recommendation letter submitted on Ohlsson’s behalf, the writer described him as “curious about the world.” It was an intriguing phrase which proved incredibly insightful. Ohlsson is hungry for knowledge and experiences. The more diverse the better.
But perhaps even more intriguing was the identity of the recommender himself: a security guard at the US Embassy in Paraguay named Jason Watson. As the son of a diplomat, Ohlsson regularly meets judges and lawmakers, but he asked a security guard for a recommendation letter. Why?
“He knows how everything works.” For Ohlsson Skaret, there’s no greater accomplishment than that.
“I have a lot of respect for Mr. Jason,” Ohlsson explains. “Mr. Jason is the one you call at the embassy when you’re in trouble. He knows how everything works.”
“He knows how everything works.” For Ohlsson Skaret, there’s no greater accomplishment than that.
The Olympics is the dream; but whether Ohlsson makes it there or not, he’ll have to find another dream eventually. Fortunately, he already realizes there’s always another goal to chase, another mountain to climb, another skill to master. And most importantly, there’s the journey, and the learning, along the way.
