Q'A with UW's Olympic hopefuls
June 25, 2008 | Men's Swimming & Diving
With 29 current, former and future members of the University of Wisconsin swimming program taking part in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials next week, uwbadgers.com caught up with several Badgers who will hit the pool in Omaha, Neb., for a chance to swim in Beijing.
UW swimmers Ben Bruce, Jen Illescas, Katie Imhoff-Smith, Dan Koenig, Hannah McClurg, Candice Peak and Jackie Vavrek answer some questions about their preparation ' and expectations ' for the Olympic Trials.
What are your goals at the Trials'
Koenig
'To swim with good technique, to swim a good race, and to be competitive to the best of my ability. And have fun. This is, after all, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I want to enjoy it.'
Imhoff-Smith
'I really want to enjoy the meet. I want to have fun and put together everything I have learned through my 16 years of swimming into this one race.'
Vavrek
'My goal is to make the final heat (top 8) at Trials. To be among the top in the country will be an amazing opportunity and, if I swim the way I have been the past few months, it's a goal that is completely do-able.'
What are your chances of making the Olympic team '
Koenig
'I would say somewhere around the area of zero percent. Or, whatever the percent is that the 80 or so swimmers who are faster than me suffer season-ending injuries between now and Trials.'
Illescas
'Highly unlikely. Since only the top two swimmers make the team, most people know who will make it. Some events are really close, thought, and it will come down to the top eight swimmers battling for those spots.'
Vavrek
'Anything can happen at Trials. That's the way the meet is set up. Anyone has a chance because it is not based on past performances throughout the year or past four years. The team is chosen based on the top two times in the final heat on that one day. I have a chance to make the team if I swim out of my mind and put everything together that I have learned the past four years. But, it's all up to whether or not I have an `on day.' I'm prepared for anything. Honestly, just making top eight at Trials would be amazing.'
How has your collegiate career at Wisconsin helped prepare you for Olympic training'
McClurg
'Having the background training from Wisconsin obviously helps with being able to finish the races. But more importantly, I think racing for four years in college has helped mentally prepare me to keep my head focused and confident going into big races. '
Peak
'The coaches help us with our technique and details that we might not see. Details and technique are extremely important and can make a huge difference when trying to go faster every year. I trust our coaches with my training because they are extremely experienced and have the same love for swimming that I do. They want to see everyone succeed and help each swimmer every way they can.'
What is your favorite all-time Olympics moment '
Bruce
'That I've been around for would have to be Klete Keller holding off the Ian Thorpe and the Aussies in the 800 free relay in the Athens Games (in 2004), but Mark Spitz winning seven gold in one Games is pretty sweet.'
Vavrek
'Watching Carly Piper break the world record at the 2004 Athens Games as a member of the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay. I had stayed with Carly on my recruiting trip to Wisconsin the fall before the Games and developed a great friendship with her. To actually see someone you know go to the Olympics and come out with a gold medal and a world record was completely inspiring. I knew her story and knew that she went from being pretty good at swimming to best in the world. Best of all, she did it at the same school I was about to attend. That moment made me not only really proud to be a new Badger, but also really excited to see where I could go as a Badger.'
What types of sacrifices have you had to make because of your training'
McClurg
'Mostly social sacrifices, which I don't usually mind, but sometimes it is annoying telling your friends who don't swim that you have to go to bed at 10 because of morning practice. There are academic sacrifices as well. I know I am an `A ' student, I just found it hard to balance sleep and training as well as class and studying.'
Koenig
'I think the main one is time. I have lost connection with several friends from high school simply because it's hard to find time for anything other than swimming and academics. I think if I had the extra time, I would use it to visit friends around the state and in neighboring states.'
How much of your time is dedicated to training '
Peak
'We usually practice two times a day for about two hours, and we normally practice from September to August. This year, though, we get to go home after Olympic Trials end at the beginning of July. However, I will continue to train at home with my club team after the trials are over.'
What made you realize that you wanted to continue your athletic career'
Koenig
'It was something I had always wanted to do as a kid. I remember when I was eight years old, my team went to watch a Badger swim meet against UW-Green Bay. I volunteered to time with a friend and we sat behind lane one and timed the whole meet. I thought I was surrounded by celebrities and considered it the greatest experience of my life. I think that's when I decided that I wanted to swim in college.'
Vavrek
'I knew when I made the Olympic Trials cut my freshman year that I would want to keep training the summer after my senior year to compete in the Trials. I feel like, after four years of training and competing here, I just now understand the sport and what I can do. I'm still dropping time and getting better, and it's all because I know how to train smarter, not harder.'
Have you competed in any international competitions to prepare'
Imhoff-Smith
'We went to Vancouver, Canada to swim a few weeks ago. It was another great experience to see other swimmers and compete outside of the U.S.'
Illescas
'Our team competes in Canada each summer. It is fun because we are racing Australians and Canadians that we know will be at the Olympics.'
If you qualify for the Olympics, what are you most looking forward to in Beijing'
Bruce
'(Teammate) Brett Koerten and I would probably be looking forward to the gratuitous amounts of lo mein, but we have to get there first and that would require a good amount of pain and training. No pain, no lo mein.'
