Virginia Valdez Schalck is a native of California. She began swimming at the age of five, trailing her two older brothers who showed a passion and dedication to the sport.

 

Virginia trained with Nike Aquatics as a child - one of few club teams based in the San Gabriel Valley for fourteen years at the time.  This opportunity allowed her to swim against club teams across Southern California and enjoy the facilities that were emerging state of the art pools for their time. The butterfly was her name and the butterfly was her game.

 

Virginia attended the California State University - Northridge where she graduated with a degree in Political Science.  Upon graduating, she moved to Washington, DC to join her husband for a year.  They returned to CA after a year for a new assignment at Vandenberg Air force Base where they started a family.  After serving in the Air Force for 20 years, her husband retired to take on a civilian job, allowing them to relocate to Redondo Beach, CA in 2006.  

 

Swimming found its way back into Virginia’s life, heart and soul by way of OCEAN FEVER in 2020 when her son Jacob expressed his interest in participating as a Junior Mentor.  The ocean water and its therapeutic effects on her soul piqued her interest in Ocean Fever.  She enjoys the feeling of peace when she is in the water, particularly because the workout is not overly hard on the body.

 

Virginia's goal is to share the experience of her swim workouts that were and are still dedicated to reflecting and focusing on her mental health.