"Confidence, Hard Work, and Big Dreams": Emileen and Juliet Moore Reflect on their Olympic Journeys
“When I feel prepared, confident and know who I am as a swimmer, those are the performances I will never forget.“ We are honored to launch our new teen initiative series with today’s women dreamers, Emileen “Emma” Moore and Juliet Moore. Emileen will be training with the Senior National Team for the 2028 Olympics as a part of Team USA, and her career highlights include being on Junior National Team 4 years in a row (2020 to 2024); 2021 U.S. National Championship Individual High Point Winner with 1st in Solo, Duet, Team, Combo; 2018 Junior Olympic National Championship Grand Slam Winner with 1st in every event (Team, Solo, Duet, Figures); U.S. National Team Championship title for 7 years in a row (2018 to 2024).Juliet has also won many medals at Junior Olympics and U.S. National Championships including a Gold medal at the 2024 Junior Olympics. In their inspiring interview with Women Who Win, they reflect on the key life lessons they have learned as young highly competitive athletes such as grit, self-confidence, and balancing their time, and their next big dreams! Enjoy!
You are a very accomplished Artistic Swimmer who will be training with the Senior National Team for the 2028 Olympics as a part of Team USA, with career highlights including 2022 junior national team athlete, and 2021 U.S. National Championship, 1st (Solo, Duet, Team, Combo), 3rd (Figures), Individual High Point Winner. Can you tell us a little bit more about how you got started in competitive swimming and athletics [gymnastics, ballet etc]? Can you share a memorable moment from your journey that deeply impacted you?
Emileen “Emma” Moore: I’ve always told people I did everything growing up. My mom kept me busy in the best way. From the ages as early as 4 to 15 I was doing multiple sports and activities; gymnastics, ballet, figure skating, martial arts, and those were just a couple of the sports I was involved in. I also grew up playing multiple instruments; guitar, piano and violin.
I distinctly remember when I tried synchro for the first time. I was 7 and that day I usually had swim lessons but instead of going to my regular lesson, I ended up at a different pool and joined a huge group of kids my age to try Artistic Swimming. I was so confused about how to wear a nose clip and putting a latex cap on my head was something I had never done before.
From then on, synchro practices became a regular occurrence and another activity was added to my schedule. As I got older, synchro became more demanding and I began to drop out of the other sports and activities I was in. It got to the point where I had to choose a lane and stick with it. 2018 was the year that question was answered for me. It was my most successful season, including an international competition in Russia. That year I grand slammed at the Junior Olympics, meaning that I won every category in my age group. Standing on the podium and receiving yet another gold medal made me realize that not only was I good at this but It was something I wanted to pursue.
Out of the numerous activities and sports I have done, synchro was the one thing I had a real passion for. It combined many of my previous skills, music and dance, and I just fell in love with the feeling of water.
2. Your athletic and soon to be Olympic journey overall encapsulates grit, focus, and discipline. Some of the challenges teenage girls face often are imposter syndrome and self- confidence. As you reflect on your own journey, what advice would you give to young girls who aspire to become professional athletes?
Emileen “Emma” Moore: The most important thing I have learned being a high performance athlete is that you have to train your mind as much as you train your body. Growing up in a sport that is centered around perfection and comparison has naturally affected my self- confidence. With the combination of social media and just being a teenager, it’s something that many of us female athletes struggle with. I know when my confidence is low, my performance and mental state at the pool suffers. I’ve had swims where my self-talk was all negative and all I could think about was how I “couldn’t do it” or “I wasn’t enough.”Those swims didn’t represent who I am as an athlete, but instead the version of me that held me back. When I feel prepared, confident and know who I am as a swimmer, those are the performances I will never forget. It’s a feeling that just makes me want to come back for more and to keep pushing my athletic career.
Imposter syndrome and a lack of self-confidence go hand in hand. When you feel like you're not the athlete people say you are, you begin to believe it. As someone who grew up being a very successful athlete, I began to think I wasn’t good enough if I didn’t continue the same line of success I grew up having. I felt embarrassed at competitions if I didn’t feel like I improved from the last season or didn’t place well. These feelings become suffocating and can lead to a downward spiral of false ideations.
The truth was, I was improving and every year I did get better, but it just wasn’t up to my standards. Sometimes, we need to pull out of our competitive world and look at ourselves from another’s perspective. It’s a skill that I’ve had to learn and with the help of my family, teammates and coaches I’ve been able to do so. Becoming a high performance professional athlete is more than just our physical talents and skills. Our mindset and determination is what drives and pushes you to go to that next level. It can take years to develop but with the help of others it is more than possible.
3. You have interests in business and entrepreneurship. Tell us more about your exciting goals as you pursue these at UCLA in the fall of 2024! As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
Emileen “Emma” Moore: While the Olympics has been my main dream since I was 12, I have since discovered many more throughout the years. My interest and aspiration in business comes from my mom as she has successfully built and created her own medical practice. While I don’t have an interest in becoming a doctor like my mother, I want to create a successful business like she has.
For what that business is to be specifically, well that is something I am still working on. I have many interests, so it's really about choosing the one that I know I can build into something bigger. Being at UCLA makes the whole process of building connections, a personal platform and different ways to explore my interests way easier. I feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to pursue my Olympic dream while also beginning to build another career.
4. You are already an accomplished athlete at such a young age. What has been the most exciting moment in your athletic journey so far?
Juliet Moore: The most exciting moment of this year was my team and I won Gold at Junior Olympics. Because we thought at first that we were going to get either third or second place because the scores were not final yet. So when we heard our named called for first place we were absolutely shocked. We all were so excited and screaming and crying happy tears.
Balancing my training is quite hard since we’re working for many hours all the time. I go straight from school to practice and don’t get home until 8:30 or 9:00 at night. Then I have to shower, have dinner, and do all of my homework. I don’t get to sleep until 11 or midnight. And then I have to get up really early again. But managing my time out of practice is the most important. For example, when balancing all of my schoolwork I do my homework either during lunch at school or any free time at school. I also try to do it in the car while driving in and out of practice. If I manage my time better during the day then I have less homework at night.
5. How do you balance your training with other aspects of your life, such as school or social activities, and what is your advice to other teens on finding this balance?
Juliet Moore: My advice to other teens is you have to be very organized and disciplined. You have to make the most of your time and don’t waste any time. On weekends and days off if I have all my homework done then I get to have fun with my friends. I am very close with my friends on the team and we love doing things together. I enjoy synchro because I get to do it with my friends. We enjoy being together inside and outside synchro. We all try hard to get our homework done so we can make the best use of our time off. I also have other friends outside of synchro. It’s important that I spend time with my family and friends whenever I can to balance my life.
You can see Emileen’s full athletic bio here:https://www.usaartisticswim.org/profiles/emileen-kendal-moore
Check out some photo and video highlights below!
Emma winning Gold in Duet USA Artistic Swimming Junior National Championships April 2023
Juliet and her team winning the Gold medal in Acrobatics Team at U.S. Junior Olympics July 2024