Jordan Durocher was born the youngest of four siblings. With three older, rambunctious brothers, the Durocher parents decided to put a swimming pool in their backyard in Fredericksburg, VA. The pool was meant to be a fun place for the family to bond and enjoy the summers. It eventually was the oasis for the Durochers, but at the beginning, it was anything but relaxing.
"So when I was three, we were all hanging at the pool house," Jordan said. "I walked in the pool, fell in the deep end. They didn't realize for a little bit. Finally, one of my brothers walked by and was like, 'Oh my gosh, Jordan's at the bottom."'
At just three years old, Jordan almost lost her life. She nearly drowned in her family's brand-new pool.
"I knew it was a situation that could be dangerous, but I never knew... I just put a death trap in my backyard," said Jordan's mother, Debra. "I said, 'OK, we know it just happened, everybody be cool. Let's bring her up. Nobody overreact.'"
That calm response proved to be lifesaving. Jordan's older brothers jumped in and brought their little sister back up out of the water.
That traumatic experience did not deter Jordan or the rest of the Durochers from the water. Instead, it actually motivated them to get back into the pool and launch their future careers.
"Everything ended up being okay," Jordan said. "That day, we started swim lessons. The rest is history now."
After that fateful day, Jordan and her older brothers all began swim lessons. Debra says it was a necessary step, even though Jordan did not like it at first.
However, Jordan's tears eventually turned into medals and then scholarships. All four of the Durocher kids went on to swim at Division I universities.
"It is so cool to be a part of," Jordan said. "They're honestly so great to look up to and learn so many lessons from."
For Jordan, she started at the University of Louisville but then transferred to FGCU. In her first year in the nest, she has proven to be one of the best swimmers on the team.
"Some of the intangible things, like the mentality and the way she approaches the daily grind, especially for the events that she does, sets her apart," FGCU Swim and Dive head coach Dave Rollins said.
Durocher already has two top-10 finishes in program history and is one of two FGCU swimmers who have a chance of competing in the NCAA championships this year.
"I want to start winning events," Jordan said. "That's my main goal. Come in here and redevelop my love for swimming, and why I started in the first place."
While winning is a motivator, especially as the youngest in an uber-talented swim family, the true reason why Jordan began swimming goes back to that day when she was three years old. Water safety is incredibly important for Jordan, which is why she now teaches lessons to kids in the hopes that no one will have to experience what she went through as a child.
"That's all I do every summer," Jordan said. "I coach swim lessons for everyone in the Fredericksburg area. I do them privately and just talk so much about water safety because it can happen to anyone. My parents really had no clue. I knew none of the dangers. I went down without making a noise."
Jordan teaches the lessons in the very same pool she fell into in her backyard in Virginia. She's taught all ages — infants up to the elderly. Plus, she specializes in helping people with special needs feel comfortable and safe in the water.
"I don't think the plan made sense to anyone at the very beginning, but now, looking back, it's pretty amazing," Jordan said. "It's such an amazing story to have and to now work with other people in the same position as me."
Jordan is now bringing her experience and water safety lessons to the Gulf Coast. She is offering her services to the local community.