Photo courtesy of Ally Chislett
By Jose Garcia (@JoseDGarcia__) — Reporter
A plethora of varying topography, gorgeous natural beauty and a coastline that stretches over 1,500 miles are just some of the things you can find in South Africa.
Ally Chislett, a swimmer for San Jose State, calls it home.
Chislett has had a unique path to SJSU. She was born in London then moved to South Africa at the age of 3. Chislett spent a large part of her life in South Africa before moving to the U.S. in 2020, where she became an international student at SJSU. Making the transition was a bit of a challenge.
“It was really tough, as it was the middle of COVID-19,” said Chislett. “No one knew what to expect. I came late and because of COVID-19, they kept canceling my visa appointments but I eventually got here.”
Chislett’s experience moving to America was rocky, much like the craggy cliffs at the Cape of Good Hope, a headland in South Africa. Nonetheless, one thing that has remained consistent for Chislett has been swimming. She started at 6 years old, where she was a newcomer and credits her mother for getting her in the water.
“My mom swam for South Africa. She grew up there,” said Chislett. “She swam until she was 17, 18 and she always wanted me and my brother to be water-safe. Growing up in South Africa, the ocean gets rough so if you want to go to the beach you need to be able to swim.”
The rugged waters of South Africa didn’t stop a young Chislett from getting her metaphorical and physical feet wet. Her intrepid attitude and competitive spirit was entrenched inside of her since childhood. She was destined to swim and was adamant on pursuing it long term.
“My mom always tells the story of how one day we were at our school gala (swim meet) and I told her I want to win the trophy next year,” said Chislett. “She then put me on a club team and I started swimming from there. Not really competitively but just to win that trophy. Then when I went to fourth grade that’s when I decided that I actually wanted to swim properly.”
South Africa is also known for being one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. Chislett and her teammates know a thing or two about diversity as there are a legion of international swimmers on the team. These swimmers resonate with one another and connect on a deeper level.
“It’s nice to have a lot of internationals,” said Chislett. “Because for me, when you’re feeling homesick you can talk to an international who’s been through or going through similar things and you can share your emotions with each other.”
Having the ability to bond with other international swimmers has been vital for Chislett. She’s found her own community within SJSU’s swim team. A big reason why she chose to be a Spartan was to feel the familiar warm weather like back in her hometown.
“For me, I live in a very warm place so I wanted to go somewhere that was warm too,” said Chislett. “During the recruiting process, I really liked the connection that I formed with our head coach Sage [Hopkins] and at the time, our assistant coach Whitney [Jorgensen]. I thought they would be good coaches for me.”
Chislett’s sisterhood with international swimmers doesn’t just end in the water. It goes beyond that all the way to land. Chislett has a roommate Réka Kovács, who’s from Hungary.
South Africa and Hungary may be on two different continents, but that doesn’t prevent Kovács and Chislett from having an unbreakable bond. The international duo have built a strong relationship, evidenced by their uncontrollable giggling whilst Kovács was talking about her roommate.
“She’s my roommate so we’re basically together 24/7,” Kovács said. “We also work together sometimes at the pool but she’s really really nice. She’s always working hard during practice and I’m really glad I have her as a teammate. She’s always happy, I don’t really see her sad.”
Kovács understands what it means to take a leap into uncharted waters. She’s an international swimmer just like Chislett and transferred to SJSU from West Virginia. She acknowledges that they argue sometimes, but they always resolve their differences.
“We fight sometimes, but I feel like it’s a love-hate relationship,” said Kovács. “Even if we fight I think we’re still really good at the end.”
Kovács and Chislett’s rapport is an overwhelmingly positive one. Their relationship as international swimmers is something that will continue to connect them at the hip.
SJSU head swimming coach Sage Hopkins has helped mentor and mold the swimmers along their collegiate careers. He recognizes what the international swimmers bring to the table as well as Chislett more specifically.
“San Jose State has a tremendous reputation for preparing our leaders of tomorrow and is a world class transformational university,” said Hopkins. “This reputation is a draw for all of our international student athletes. Ally is a very talented swimmer and we look forward to her working to develop that talent.”
As Dory from “Finding Nemo” once famously sang, “just keep swimming.”