Kristin Jones has always been able to control the pool.

She has command of her splits, her training, her diet and just about every aspect of the sport.

In high school she seemingly manipulated each ripple of water in pools around Southeast and the state as she racked up titles and championships.

As a youth in the Gastineau Swim Club there was a love and passion for the water that made her a joy to be around.

What Kristin Jones cannot control is the reason she will swim around Key West, Fla., on June 8, in a 13-mile race called The Swim Around Key West.

Jones was born with a 25 percent chance of having Friedreich’s ataxia, a genetic disorder that has confined her older brother, Ryan, 25, and younger brother Owen, 19, to wheelchairs with severe debilitating disabilities.

Read More: Swimming for a cause, swimming for family