Sofia Revilak Fonseca, a sprint freestyle swimmer representing Mexico on the international stage, had the privilege of learning from one of the best at an early age. Sofia’s high school coach, Olympian Jeremy Linn, shared his deep knowledge of swimming and his love and passion for the sport with young athletes. Sofia says, “He was not only attentive to our swimming careers but also to helping mold us into good people.” Working with Jeremy inspired Sofia to teach, leading her to Fitter and Faster Swim Camps.
Sofia focuses on proper technique and open communication in her swim camps. She explains each drill in detail and connects how that drill will improve swimmers’ stroke. “My teaching style is to guide swimmers to proper technique and speed in the water through cues while allowing them to explore what works best for them. I aim to meet each swimmer where they are at and show them that they are capable of achieving whatever they set their minds to.”
Sofia shares that self belief is her key to success, and that confidence can help one remain calm in high pressure situations. She shares the story of her first world championship in Fukuoka, Japan. “Legendary Spanish coach Sergio Lopez gave me some advice to deal with nerves and overthinking. It is easy to get caught up in your head sometimes as a high-achiever, and Sergio sat me down and told me to be rational about the situation. He said, ‘what’s the worst that can happen? You swim slow. That’s it.’ It helped me realize that even if I didn’t swim as fast as I wanted to, it wasn’t the end of the world.” That changed how Sofia approached swimming, with more confidence and less anxiety, which resulted in better outcomes.
Sofia reminds camp participants that they are stronger as a team versus as individuals. She says that winning a bronze medal in the Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay at the 2023 PanAmerican Games was a transformative experience, and taught her the value of teamwork. She says, “We went into that final calm, collected and secure in our abilities which proved to be the ideal mindset for us to win a medal for Mexico in an event that our country hadn’t won a medal in since 2001.”