Jason Hass Thrives in the Water
2/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 3, 2011
By Chris Cullum, Miami Athletic Communications
OXFORD, Ohio--For many kids growing up playing sports, which sport he or she played was determined by physical attributes.
Do you happen to be taller than normal? Go play basketball. Are you bigger than most of your peers? Grab a helmet and shoulder pads because you're playing football. How about if you're small and quick? Grab your cleats and head on over to the pitch ... you're a soccer player now.
For Jason Hass, a senior on Miami University's men's swimming and diving team, his decision to become a swimmer was not borne out of physical traits, but out of where he lived.
"I grew up on a lake [in Jackson, Michigan], so my parents thought I should know how to swim," said Hass. "Swimming chose me."
Hass began swimming at age seven and he also played soccer, baseball, and ran track growing up. As he got older and time became a precious commodity, swimming won out over the other sports.
His youth wasn't dominated by competitive sports, however. From an early age he was active in scouting and he earned his Eagle Scout in the eighth grade, which is a year or two earlier than most Eagle Scouts are honored. Jason's Eagle Scout project dealt with collecting donations for Operation Shoebox, which is an organization that collects a wide variety of different items to send to soldiers overseas.
As for his favorite hobby, Jason absolutely loves fishing, and he goes to Canada to fish with his dad every year. On one of those trips, when he was ten, he picked up a rabbit fur hat at a Canadian trading post, and he still wears the hat during meets before he races.
So how did a kid who grew up in Big Ten country find his way to Miami? Jason cited Michigan State as his number two choice, and he did love the school, but the swimming team wasn't what he was looking for.
As for why he chose Miami, "I wanted to be a little further away from home, plus I really liked Miami's academic reputation."
He also really liked Miami's Christian presence on campus, and he is an active member in the Campus Crusade for Christ organization at Miami.
In terms of swimming, "I wanted to be somewhere where I could contribute immediately, and Miami was a place where I could do that."
All of those qualities made up the perfect school for Jason, but there was one other thing that served as the cherry on top of his decision: "of course, Miami's reputation for pretty girls."
As an incoming freshman Jason had two big goals: to maintain a B-average in the classroom and to meet as many people as he could outside of it.
"At first, I tried to meet as many people as I could and I had a lot of acquaintances," he said. "But now I'm focused on making those life-long friendships."
Like any collegiate athlete, Jason's primary goal coming into his first season was to win a conference championship. As his career has progressed, however, he began looking more at the bigger picture: "Since I've been here, some of the other schools have put together some really good programs, so our biggest goal is just to build our team up for the future."
While his goal of winning a conference championship hasn't come to fruition, Jason has found a good deal of success for himself. He was an honorable mention All-Mid-American Conference honoree in 2008-09 and a second-team All-MAC last season, and this season he holds the second fastest 200 meter butterfly time in the MAC (1:51:54).
Being a senior, Jason is well aware that his days as a Miami swimmer are numbered, and this Saturday (Feb. 5) marks his final home meet as a RedHawk (3 p.m. at the Nixon Aquatic Center).
He isn't shy about sharing his feelings heading into the final two meets of his career: "It affects me in the way that I know that this is my last shot...this is it."
What will he miss the most when he's no longer a RedHawk?
"I'll definitely miss the team the most," he says, "the camaraderie between us."
It's not all bad, though. At least he'll be able to catch up on some sleep.
"I have never gotten used to waking up at 5:30 in the morning five days a week."
After graduation, Jason wants to become a financial planner, with his main motivation being that he can help other people with their fiscal problems and give them advice.
Growing up on that lake in Michigan, swimming and fishing from an early age, Jason has worked hard not to let those individual activities define who he is. Instead, he is defined by his hard work and dedication to public service and giving back, making himself someone the Miami community is proud to call one of its own.
--www.MURedHawks.com--
Players Mentioned
