Growing up in the mountains and deserts of Arizona, A.P. Avar spent most of her life in the water to cope with heat. The constant relief from the weather made Avar passionate about swimming leading her to competitively swimming in high school and now has come full circle competing again 20 years later.
This past summer, A.P. Avar went back to swimming competitively, joining the USF Masters Swim Team, made up of adults ranging from 21 to 85 years old.
The USF Masters Swim Team holds practices every day but everyone has to attend at least a couple of practices each week. The swim program has ten swim meets each year against other masters teams in the northern California region, and each member has to commit to at least two of the swim meets.
“Swimming personally challenges me to do my individual best and I think that it’s a nice thing to always mark my time as far as competition goes but it is also good for mental health because it helps me focus on my breathing and being weightless in the water is a really special thing,” says A.P. Avar.
Since early childhood, A.P. Avar was introduced to swimming at five months old, even learning how to swim before she could walk. After years of swimming experience, she joined her high school’s varsity swimming team and swam for the team for all 4 years of high school.
In high school, A.P. Avar practiced swimming 4-5 days a week to prepare to compete against other schools. As a swimming athlete, A.P. Avar participated in many events and distances. Her favorite swimming event is the butterfly.
After high school, A.P. Avar took a break from competitive swimming but continued swimming recreationally. Since learning to scuba dive in college, A.P. Avar has enjoyed swimming and snorkeling with sharks in Hawaii and has visited the state at least 7 times for vacation.
After finishing college at the University of Arizona, she taught English in Barcelona, Spain for one year. Later, she moved again to San Diego for a short period and afterward, moved to Capital Hill in Washington D.C. for a couple of years to work on a civics education program, eventually moving to San Francisco in 2007.
Before becoming the school’s Assistant Principal, A.P. Avar taught History and AVID at San Leandro High School for 15 years.
