Swimming and Diving Spotlight with Claire Golba
Dec 11, 2019 | Women's Swimming and Diving
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University senior Claire Golba took some time away from her busy schedule this week to chat with TulaneGreenWave.com about life as a student-athlete and a look back through her collegiate athletics career in this week's Swimming and Diving spotlight. Â
Now that you are a senior, how would you describe your collegiate career at Tulane?
"It's been a whirlwind. I've definitely come a long way since I was a freshman and the team has made a lot of changes, but it's been really good. I'm feeling very grateful for my experience here and all the Tulane Athletics has done, and I'm really excited to go out with a bang this year."
What would define a successful season in your opinion?
"I think personally, it's getting a few best times in the events that I've been swimming. As a team, it would be us placing higher and doing better in the conference than we have in the past, and just having a good attitude and having fun while we do it."
How would you describe going to school in New Orleans?
"It's been really cool. There's a lot of really fun things in New Orleans that you can do, and a lot of opportunities that are open for us as student athletes. Tulane has been an amazing school that provides such competitive academics. Being a part of an athletics program where the athletes are built up and cared for so much has been really awesome and a really humbling experience."Â
What will you remember most from your time as a student athlete?
"I think I'll remember not the practices themselves, but the times that we had at practice and laughing with my teammates and dancing around. Also swimming fast at meets, cheering each other on, watching that final relay and watching us just swim fast, especially at the end of the season at Conference, when all of our hard work pays off. It's definitely going to be more of the memories that I've made with my teammates than the times that we swim."
What are your plans after graduation?
"I plan on taking the MCAT in the spring, and then applying to medical schools next year. I will be taking a gap year, and during that year I plan on traveling, working, doing service, and just giving back to the community before ramping up for another four years of school."
What inspired you to give back to the community?
"Tulane is very service oriented, and it has really inspired me to see how much the university does for the community. The university's saying is "Not For Oneself But For One's Own" and just giving back to the community. Because of that, I've been really inspired to give back to those who are less fortunate, because I feel so fortunate that I can come here [Tulane], and compete at a Division I level. Just getting to go to such an amazing private school in an amazing city, I've been inspired to give back. During that year, I'm not exactly sure where I'll be. I really want to kind of serve others because in the end, if you want to be a doctor you do it to help others, not to help yourself. It's setting the tone for how I'll live the rest of my life."
Any ideas as to what type of medicine you want to practice?
"I love kids. I've been a camp counselor the past few summers, so I would love to do pediatrics and maybe special in Oncology or something of that sort."
Where did your love for being around kids come from?
"I would say it started just from the younger kids on my swim team, I always loved hanging out with them. We had a really small team growing up, so I always connected with them well. And just getting involved in camps in high school where I was hanging out with kids. I worked at bible camp over the summer. I just love teaching kids, I love coaching kids, I've been a camp counselor, and I just think I get along really well with them. I'm a child at heart so I think that's why we get along so well."
What set Tulane apart from other schools?
"I really think that Tulane is a very competitive academic school, and athletics are obviously very competitive as well. Seeing a school that has both of those aspects and is also super involved in giving back to the community, I think that's really awesome. Personally, I really love the team here. I just felt like the team was a family, and a family that I wanted to be a part of. It kind of reminded me a lot of the girls on my club team, and it made me feel like I was at home."Â
How did Tulane get on your radar being from Ohio?
"It's actually really funny, I was signed up on this e-mail list with College Swimming, which is a recruiting app for swimmers. I got an e-mail from Tulane, and I had never heard of it. My dad was like "Oh, that's a really good school! You should look into it" and I was like "Okay!" and the rest is history."
What are some of the New Orleans traditions that you love?
"I love Mardi Gras, it's always so much fun. Also, the amount of music. There's just so many music festivals and concerts down here, and just live music and art on the streets. There's so much culture tied into that with all the street performers that you'll see down in the French Quarter. Also, the food is phenomenal. You can never go to a bad restaurant down here.
If you didn't swim, what sport would you do?
"I actually made a decision in high school between swimming and soccer, so I would play soccer. I was left outside mid-fielder in soccer because I was left footed. That was really fun, but in the end, I just had more of a passion for swimming. They're both very team-oriented sports which is cool, just in different ways. Â
What is your favorite sport to watch?
"Football! Huge Cleveland Browns fan." Â
What made you love the Browns so much?
"My dad. He's been a Browns fan his whole life and he got my brother and I hooked on them. My whole life I have never seen the Browns really do well ever, so I have this hope that one day we're going to have an amazing season and make the playoffs."
What do you appreciate most from everyone who has supported you in your career as a student-athlete?
"I think I appreciate the people that believed in me and pushed me to be the best that I could in athletics and academics. People who told me to reach for the stars. The people that build you up and are supportive of you, even when you're doubting yourself and are scared of what's to come, those are the people that you'll remember and that you're forever grateful for."
Players Mentioned
