When Does This Kid Sleep?

Most would say a normal school day for a high school senior would be to get up in the morning, go to class, go home, eat and do homework before going to bed. Tommy Jester's day is nothing of the sort.

Jester's weekly schedule resembles that of an Olympian in training. He's up at the crack of dawn and doesn't hit the sheets until Americans have watched Jay Leno and David Letterman crack jokes for an hour-and-a-half.

"Getting up before the sun rises is as common as blinking my eyes with the schedule that I have," Jester said. "I love to swim and play hockey and I'll do whatever it takes to do that."

The Schreiber senior is on the swim team and was the only Port Washington swimmer to compete at the Nassau County Diving Championships on Jan. 30. He also plays hockey for the Freeport Arrows, a travel team in the Long Island Amateur Hockey League where he serves as its assistant captain.  

Throughout the winter, his typical daily schedule consists of a 5 a.m. wake up, a quick bite to eat and a drive over to Great Neck Middle School for swim practice from 5:45 to 7 a.m. A lightning-fast shower and change of clothes in the locker room precedes his journey through a school day. As of 3:05 p.m., Jester heads home for some brief relaxation, dinner and does his homework.

But that's just the start. On Monday's at around 7 p.m., he gets ready and leaves for hockey practice at the Freeport Recreation Center at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday carries the same schedule, only hockey practice doesn't begin until 9 o'clock. Tuesdays and Thursdays are designated for after-school weight room sessions for the swim team.

"It's an intense schedule, but there are a lot of people in this world that have harder schedules than mine so I can't complain," Jester said.

The senior often has hockey games on either Saturday and Sunday nights, making his athletic schedule almost a 24-7 lifestyle.

"I don't know how he does it," said Schreiber swim coach Joe Lennon. "The kid has an amazing work ethic and never slacks off. I wish all athletes were as dedicated and as timely as him."

Lennon said he's very proud of his top diver and is amazed by his work ethic and how well he always performs. The coach added that he wishes every kid on the team was as dedicated as Jester is. "He basically grew up in the Manorhaven pool and has been doing this forever," Lennon said. "He loves swimming and diving and it really paid off for him and us as a team."

The Arrows' hockey coach Chris Hogan shares Lennon's sentiments. "He's a really motivated kid," Hogan said. "He is one of those selfless leaders and unfortunately doesn't get that much one-on-one attention from the coaches simply because he doesn't need it. It's actually a compliment and I've expressed that to him and he understands that. Tommy just doesn't need that much instruction. He has natural ability and that can't be taught."

Hogan has coached Jester for two years and said he has never seen an athlete with such dedication to his craft. According to Hogan, Jester has never taken a practice off. "I've asked and told him that if he needs a night off that he's entitled to it, but he never takes one."

Hogan said his star forward is an athlete that makes others around him better and explained that he leads by example.

"Tommy's one of those guys who comes to work, does his job and does it well," Hogan said. "He's one of the more vocal leaders on the team. He doesn't complain and always does what he needs to do. "