Ella Eastin won 12 NCAA titles, broke four American and NCAA records and helped the Stanford swim team win three NCAA championships. She started at Irvine Swim League and still holds seven records there. Now a medical student at Stanford, she founded the nonprofit Dysunderstood, which focuses on patient education and advocacy. She tells us how Irvine Swim League impacted her life.
How did you start with Irvine Swim League?
I started swimming for the Northpark Riptide when I was 6. My grandparents had just moved to Northpark, and it became a cornerstone of my family’s life. We moved there to remain on the swim team and be an official part of the community.
What are your favorite memories of that time?
I remember spending entire summers at Forest Glen Pool with my family and friends, playing in the water all day, drinking root beer through a Red Vine as a straw. Swim meets would be over, and we would stay in the water into the evening. It felt like the center of our community.
Did the league set you up for success?
It taught me how to be part of a team and to love the process of improving. More importantly, it taught me that success and enjoyment can go hand in hand. Coach Todd Larsen always emphasized having fun, working hard and bringing positive energy to whatever you do. Those lessons I learned continue to shape everything I do.
Any advice for young swimmers?
Work hard and set big goals, but don’t lose sight of why you started swimming in the first place. The athletes who compete the longest are usually the ones who genuinely love being in the water. Even today, I still find the greatest sense of peace in the water. No matter where life takes me, the pool will always feel like home.
