TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

How much growth have you seen in the UB swimming program over the course of your four years on the team?
I have seen an immense amount of growth on our team. The team is more solid now than ever before. We have gained some great new members; they are strong and excited to be here.

My first year here was the first year that we competed in the Mid-American Conference. This conference demands that we step up every year, becoming faster and stronger, and we definitely have! Each year we have grown considerably from all angles. We have developed a team that cares, supports and loves each other through all sorts of unimaginable situations. I am very proud to be a part of this team.

Walk through your preparation on the day of a meet.
Preparation for me is relatively simple. I love racing and competing so I am always excited for race day. Our team arrives at the pool about two hours before the meet is scheduled to begin. We change into our racing suits and our team blue warm-ups. Then, we do stretch as a team, which lasts about 15-20 minutes. After the stretch, we put our caps and goggles on and get ready to get into the pool for warm-up.

The meet warm-up that we do is the same every time. We all like to get in the water at the same time, to feel unified. First, we do a long swim. Then, we have a sprint set to get our hearts going, and fire-up our bodies. After the sprint set, I do some pace work, because I am a 200 swimmer. This means that you do a set, trying to hold a consistent time. After that, I usually like to do a few sprints off the blocks so I can get used to them, if we are not at home.

I think that being comfortable with the pool is extremely important. Ten minutes prior to start time, we have a quick team meeting, and go through our lineup. The meeting always ends with inspiring words from our head coach, Dorsi Raynolds. Throughout the warm-up, both on deck and in the pool, I am getting psyched for competition. There is something about meets – MAC meets in particular – that really fires me up. I love it!

Explain the scoring system at swim meets.
The scoring at meets is fairly simple. For relay events, the top three finishers receive points (11, four and two). This creates an equal opportunity for teams to score, because one team’s relays are only allowed to score for two of the top three. For individual events, the top five finishers receive points (nine, four, three, two, and one). For a 16-event meet (most frequent), the total amount of points available to receive is 300.

You swim events in both the breast and fly. Is it common to see a swimmer participate in events of two different strokes?
Yes, definitely. There are many versatile swimmers on our team, which is what makes us so strong. Since we train many different strokes, and work a lot on the individual medley (fly, back, breast and free), our bodies are in shape for many different types of events.

Do swimmers often compete in both individual events and relays?
Yes, relays and individual events are generally given equal importance. I can almost bet on my events come meet day – medley relay, 100 breast stroke, 200 breast stroke and/or the 200 individual medley/100 fly. When you are at the Division I level, you have trained and focused on your primary events. It is like football for example, when you prepare on defense, you aren’t going to play offense in the game.

How do your practices work? Do you strictly work with other fly and breaststroke swimmers, or is there a “team” feel to practices?
Our practices are awesome. This is where swimming is most definitely a team sport. We train together, pushing each other to the limits, testing how hard we can work. We train in eight lanes, and usually swim with one or two other teammates. Ask any swimmer how important their lane mates are, and no doubt they will tell you it is a team sport. Stop in at one of our practices sometime and you will hear yelling, enthusiasm, and cheering for each other. It’s great.

Are there any particular individual records that you shoot for?
I am always shooting for personal bests; those are my individual records. In our program, the goal is to build and teach the person, as well as the athlete. So my individual records that I am shooting for run much deeper than the amount of time that I finish a race in. One of my favorite things about this sport is the competitiveness that you find, especially in the MAC. For me, it is impossible to avoid the intense energy that you feel on race day.

What are the team goals of the 2001-2002 UB women’s swimming team?
The goal that my team has this year is to be successful in the MAC. We have placed sixth during the past two years at the MAC Championships, and we are hungry for more. We have already started well... and will continue to. We hope to end up in the top four at the MAC Championships. We are also ready to break more records than ever.

When your team goes on the road, are there any disadvantages that present themselves? Is there an advantage to competing in the Alumni Natatorium?
I love when we travel. The bus rides and team meals bring out unity and spirit, which are very uplifting and fun. The only disadvantage is that it is obviously not our pool, which we know like the back of our hand. The blocks, the walls, the temperature, are all different. How deep and clear the pool is, the lane size, and lane lines also come into play. Although sometimes we have extremely long bus rides, seven to eight hours, they always seem be fun and interesting to say the least!

The home pool advantage always gives you the upper hand – especially in our case. UB has an excellent facility, and we are lucky to be here and practice in it everyday.

Only a handful of members of your team are from the immediate Amherst/Buffalo area. What does it mean to you to be able to swim at the Division I level in essentially your own backyard?
Well, Alumni Arena is almost in my backyard. When I was in US swimming, my club team practiced at UB. The big meets of the season were usually held here, until the Flickinger Center at the downtown ECC campus was built and the competition migrated there.

I can remember competing at Alumni Arena when I was 8. Every time I walk up to the pool and smell the distinct scent of the chlorine, I still get a smile on my face. Now, the stakes are a bit higher and the level of competition much more fierce, but the pool is the same. For me, it is who you are surrounded by – and here I am surrounded by wonderful and supportive teammates, coaches and great competition. What more could I want?

-The “10 Questions with…” feature is compiled by Geoff Nason