ARTICLE TOOLS

E-mail story

Comments

Printer friendly version

iPod friendly version

Share This

Text Size: A A A A

Chattanooga: Napier among four area athletes at U.S. Olympic trials

By: David Paschall
(Contact)

Included in this article

Dan Flack

As a four-time MVP of Baylor School’s swim team and the 50-yard freestyle record holder at the University of Florida, Stephanie Napier has experienced plenty of high-level competition.

The Tennessee state high school meet. The Southeastern Conference championships. The NCAAs.

Yet nothing compares to the United States Olympic Trials.

“The Olympic Trials is the fastest swim meet in the world,” Napier said. “It’s even faster than the actual Olympics. Having everyone there and just watching it all in front of all those fans creates an atmosphere like no other you will experience. It’s so much fun.”

University of Florida photo -- Former Baylor School and current University of Florida swimmer Stephanie Napier will be competing in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events at the U.S. Olympic Trials next week.

The 20-year-old Napier will compete in her second Olympic Trials next week when she swims the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events in Omaha, Neb. She is among four Chattanooga swimmers who have qualified, joining Baylor’s Alison Lusk (200 breaststroke) and Reese Shirey (100 backstroke) and McCallie’s Sean Ryan (1500 freestyle).

Four representatives are the most ever for Chattanooga at a single trials.

Since the top two finishers in most events qualify for the Olympics in Beijing, the four Chattanoogans will enter as decided underdogs. Napier’s No. 35 seeding in the 50 free is the highest for any of them.

The 17-year-old Shirey, 16-year-old Lusk and 15-year-old Ryan are making their first trips to the trials with hopes of representing the U.S. in other competitions.

“People are staying in this sport far, far longer than they ever did before, and it makes it tougher for high-school-aged kids to crack through,” Baylor coach Dan Flack said. “The great thing about this competition is that the Olympic team is not the only team being picked off of this. This meet is also a qualifying meet for the World Youth Championships in Monterey, Mexico, the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Guam and for the North American Age Group Invitational in Vancouver.

Staff File Photo -- Alison Lusk qualified for the USA Swimming National Championships when she was 14. Now she’s competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials.

“Those are three of the biggest 18-under competitions in the world, and this is one of the meets you can qualify for that. So while making the Olympic team is a bit of a long shot in our cases, we’re firmly going to this meet with the intent of qualifying for a team to represent the United States of America.”

The swimming trials run Sunday through July 6.

Napier, a rising Florida junior, has a best 50-meter time of 25.96 seconds. She will have to trim more than a second to catch the top two qualifying times of 24.53 and 24.59.

“I try not to look at what time is seeded first,” she said. “It is whoever gets first and second and not necessarily the time that matters, so you kind of have to swim your own race. I am hoping to take half a second off and go my best time. It’s your own race, and you can’t worry about what other people are doing.”

Said Flack: “Stephanie’s capable of doing it. She’s ultra-world-class for 40 meters, and her training to get those last 10 meters down is going very well. If there’s any race where it’s kind of a wild-card thing, it’s certainly that race. Two tenths of a second can mean third place and 20th.”

Dara Torres held Florida’s 50-yard free record for 20 years until Napier broke it with a time of 22.30 seconds. Amazingly, Torres enters the Olympic Trials as the U.S. top seed in the 50 free as a 41-year-old.

Napier hasn’t decided if she will try again in 2012.

Shirey, Lusk and Ryan haven’t thought along those lines, as they hope this will be an eye-opening thrill they can soak in during the months ahead. Ryan said his nerves went away not long after he qualified for the 1500 in March but have returned.

“It’s really about competing on the national level,” he said. “Most people swim in a U.S. national meet before they qualify for the Olympic Trials, but this is my first meet on the national level. It’s also the farthest I’ve ever traveled outside the Southeast.”

McCallie coach Stan Corcoran said Ryan has been incredibly focused since the middle of May and hopes his swimmer can suppress any nervousness and enjoy the trip. Ryan is seeded 70th in the 1500 and is more than a minute off the top two qualifying times, so he will arrive with little to lose.

“He’s in a really good position,” Corcoran said. “The people who could be tight are the people who are fourth, fifth and sixth, or 10th, 11th and 12th, because if they have a good swim, they could legitimately make the team. Sean is going in there knowing he’s not going to make the team, so hopefully he’ll be more relaxed and will use this as a good, positive experience.”

That echoes the advice Napier has for her first-time counterparts.

“Just take everything in and have fun with it,” she said. “I’m sure they’re going to have the opportunity to go to another one, so just take this one as a learning experience and have fun in your event.”

Comments