Blog: Olivia Johnson Reflects on World Trials Experience
Jul 5, 2017 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Rising sophomore Olivia Johnson competed at USA Swimming Nationals and World Championship Trials in Indianapolis on Thursday, June 29. Below is a journal entry of her day from the time she woke up and through competition:
Swimming at the highest level has always been a dream of mine. The Olympics, Olympic Trials, World Trials, and Pan-Pacs are considered some of the top championship meets to compete in. Fortunately, I was able to compete in World Trials this year in my home state of Indiana, a meet I was a spectator at eight years ago. I vividly remember watching the elite of the elite competing, swimmers like Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, and Aaron Peirsol and being totally mesmerized. I never thought I would be swimming with the elite of the elite in the years to follow.Â
This year, World Championship Trials were held in Indianapolis which is about an hour from my hometown of West Lafayette. A swimmer is no stranger to early mornings and the day I competed was no different. I woke up around 6:15 a.m. on Thursday and quickly got ready to go to the pool. I needed to be on the pool deck at 7:30, but I never like to be rushed on competition days, so I like to give myself plenty of time. While I ate breakfast, my mom ran to Starbucks to get coffee (yes, I drink coffee before competing). Having my mom run around to get coffee and food was something I have always been grateful for and one of things I missed the most about going to college. The drive from the hotel to the pool was only about 10 minutes, so I left at around 6:50Â to get there at 7. The 400 IM was the first event of the day, so as soon as I got to the pool I changed into my suit and got in the water at 7:30. Â My warm up only took about 45 minutes, but putting on racing suits can take a while (like 20-30 minutes), so I got out of the pool to go change for the second time. I was heat seven out of 10Â so I was set to go off at about 9:30. Â When I changed into my racing suit, I talked to my coach for a couple of minutes and got in the water to warm up for a second time. Â
The 400 IM is a very strategic event and one of the more difficult races in swimming. My race didn't feel as great as I was hoping it would, but it still turned out to be a decent swim. Overall, I am very grateful for the opportunity to swim at such a high level and the copious amount of support from my family, coaches, and teammates. I have about 3-4 weeks of hard training left before I head out to New York to compete at U.S Open and I couldn't be more excited!
Swimming at the highest level has always been a dream of mine. The Olympics, Olympic Trials, World Trials, and Pan-Pacs are considered some of the top championship meets to compete in. Fortunately, I was able to compete in World Trials this year in my home state of Indiana, a meet I was a spectator at eight years ago. I vividly remember watching the elite of the elite competing, swimmers like Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, and Aaron Peirsol and being totally mesmerized. I never thought I would be swimming with the elite of the elite in the years to follow.Â
This year, World Championship Trials were held in Indianapolis which is about an hour from my hometown of West Lafayette. A swimmer is no stranger to early mornings and the day I competed was no different. I woke up around 6:15 a.m. on Thursday and quickly got ready to go to the pool. I needed to be on the pool deck at 7:30, but I never like to be rushed on competition days, so I like to give myself plenty of time. While I ate breakfast, my mom ran to Starbucks to get coffee (yes, I drink coffee before competing). Having my mom run around to get coffee and food was something I have always been grateful for and one of things I missed the most about going to college. The drive from the hotel to the pool was only about 10 minutes, so I left at around 6:50Â to get there at 7. The 400 IM was the first event of the day, so as soon as I got to the pool I changed into my suit and got in the water at 7:30. Â My warm up only took about 45 minutes, but putting on racing suits can take a while (like 20-30 minutes), so I got out of the pool to go change for the second time. I was heat seven out of 10Â so I was set to go off at about 9:30. Â When I changed into my racing suit, I talked to my coach for a couple of minutes and got in the water to warm up for a second time. Â
The 400 IM is a very strategic event and one of the more difficult races in swimming. My race didn't feel as great as I was hoping it would, but it still turned out to be a decent swim. Overall, I am very grateful for the opportunity to swim at such a high level and the copious amount of support from my family, coaches, and teammates. I have about 3-4 weeks of hard training left before I head out to New York to compete at U.S Open and I couldn't be more excited!
Players Mentioned
Dist. Free/ IM
/ Women's Swimming and DivingTulane Swimming vs West Florida
Friday, January 29
Swimming & Diving Records Four First-Place Finishes at LSU
Tuesday, December 15
SMU vs Tulane
Saturday, January 25
Wave Talk #5 with Leah Stancil
Friday, December 27
