Special to Aquatic Times, from Kim Foster – It’s not your typical summer camp, but there are some aspects to the Olympic swimmer’s training at Stanford …
Filed under: Swimming Events
Special to Aquatic Times, from Kim Foster – It’s not your typical summer camp, but there are some aspects to the Olympic swimmer’s training at Stanford …
Filed under: Swimming Events
It’s not your typical summer camp, but there are some aspects to the Olympic swimmer’s training at Stanford that sounds quite a bit like camp. On the list of things to do: watching skits performed by the rookies, play some miniature golf, shop on University Avenue and secretly plan some practical jokes. For the serious stuff there are workouts, meetings, more workouts and even more meetings. And oh yes, the always fun meet the media day.
This past Saturday, reporters from around the country that cover swimming converged on the Stanford campus to get their one and only chance to talk to the Olympians before the games begin in August. Athletes filtered into the room one by one, stopping to pose for a portrait with an American flag draped around their shoulders.
First up to face the glare of the cameras, microphones and notebooks: Dara Torres. Fresh from her morning practice, the 41 year-old mother answered every question, even the ones that kept coming about her age.
“I have received so many e-mails and phone calls and when I run into people at the gym or the grocery store they just keep saying how great it is that someone my age can do that,” said Torres. “If anything it makes me proud that I am that age and can do this.”
The Bay Area will send six swimmers to the Olympics: Natalie Coughlin and Emily Silver from Cal Aquatics, Ben Wildman-Tobriner a native San Franciscan who swam at Stanford, Kim Vandenberg from Moraga who swam at Orinda Aquatics and UCLA and Elaine Breeden and Julia Smit who currently swim for Stanford.
Wildman-Tobriner, who took second in the 50 free at the trials earning a spot on the Olympic Team, was all smiles. The favorite son of San Francisco, with his chiseled good looks, was beaming when asked by a reporter about how it feels to be an Olympian.
“I am excited to represent San Francisco in the Olympics,” said Wildman-Tobriner. “It is such a great city and I am planning on moving there after the games.”
Next up, a relaxed Natalie Coughlin, with her hair still wet from morning practice, sat down with a cup of coffee in one hand. Coughlin admitted it’s been a little hard getting back in the groove.
“I am just trying to get back into training mode,” said Coughlin.
“It is kind of difficult after such a high from the Olympic trials, but I actually feel really good so far and I’m starting to get into the rhythm and routine of the training camp.”
But the story of the day had to be Eric Shantau, who learned a week before the Olympic trials that he had testicular cancer. Shantau qualified for the games after finishing second to Scott Spann in the 200 breastroke. Shantau says his doctors are monitoring the situation, but so far they see no reason why he can’t swim in Beijing.
“All signs say it is extremely slow-growing and it is contained in one area and that is what we are keeping an eye on,” said Shanteau.
After media day, the swimmers headed out to another meeting, a little bit of downtime, then to a second workout later in the day, but no rest for the rookies. They are supposed to be practicing their skits in hopes of impressing the veterans.