3/24/2015
20 QUESTION
TUESDAY EXTRA:
SIMONE MANUEL
BY BOB SCHALLER//CORRESPONDENT
Nothing like a 100 record and making history for Sugar Land, Texas native and Stanford standout Simone Manuel at NCAAs over the weekend. After a scorching 46.09 to win the 100 free, she anchored the Stanford 4 x 100 with a 45.79. And on top of all that, she led a historical 1-2-3 sweep as she, teammate Lia Neal and fellow Texan Natalie Hinds became the first African Americans to sweep an event at NCAA Championships. Catching up on homework over spring break, Manuel talks about that, and life on the West Coast, in a special 20 Question Tuesday EXTRA.
1. Excited to have record times in the final?
Simone: It was really exciting. Yet I was nervous at the same time, because that was my 12th race of the meet. I knew there were a lot of expectations and people were looking to see if I would break the record. I just kind of tried my best and had fun.
2. Did you take time to enjoy it or too much going on?
Simone: I think I allowed myself to celebrate. it was a good semi-end to my NCAA since we had the relay coming up next. I was really happy with my performance and happy how far I have come with Coach Greg (Meehan) and (Associate Head Coach) Tracy (Duchac), and everything I have learned at the meet. I allowed myself to celebrate a little.
Simone Manuel
3. There was a lot going on this meet in terms of expectations and team standings wasn’t there?
Simone: I was talking to my mom and I was telling her this was the most stressful meet I have been a part of, even more stressful than Olympic Trials or World Championships because you are swimming so many races at high intensity for a long time. You have to be ready to swim 100 percent. I just learned whether you had a good race or bad race, you have to move on. It’ll also prepare me for World Championships or Olympic Trials where I’ll only have one or two events per day, or even each session – I will be prepared for that and ready to go.
4. All that plus the intense academic rigor at Stanford?
Simone: It’s been really exciting yet challenging at the same time. I have a lot of friends who are very supportive. You can sit down and ask for help. We have tutors. We have professors who are always supportive as long as you communicate early. It’s fun to come back to the dorm each evening and focus on school. I think that’s what keeps me balanced and able to swim fast – that I do have distractions.
5. So you like Palo Alto?
Simone: Most definitely. I love it. It’s really nice. The campus as a whole is very beautiful. You have everything there. There are days where I want to walk to practice, though I am not sure about walking back after a tough (laughs) practice. I love the weather, the school and all the new friends I have made, many of whom I met outside of swimming.
6. What’s the biggest change from southeast Texas?
Simone: The biggest change and difference are the prices – the cost of living. It is very different from Sugar Land. The weather is a very nice change – you don’t have the Texas humidity.
7. All that calm with everything going on at NCAAs – is that more of your growth and experience?
Simone: I guess it shows that I am not overwhelmed – I guess (laughs) I hide that. Sometimes, I get a little nervous. I’ll have to say I was pretty nervous before the 50 free because that’s an event where anything can happen, good or bad. That was my first individual final at NCAAs and I wanted to get off to a good start.
8. After winning an exciting 50 with Ivy Martin second, were you confident heading into the 100?
Simone: I didn’t know I was going to win going into the 100. The 100 has a different feel and you can’t take anything for granted at the NCAA Championship. But I was pretty confident after the prelims. I had gotten a massage and taken an ice bath to get ready – I was pretty sore after prelims and took care of my body and took a nap at the hotel. I thought, “Well, I have two more 100s left. I’ll give it all I’ve got.” I was excited with the outcome.
9. History. Three brilliant, amazing and strong African American women on the podium – history hit you right away?
Simone: I didn’t immediately know about it and how significant it was maybe until I got on the plane Sunday to go back home.
10. It didn’t come up right away because of the moment and the fact the meet was still so intense?
Simone: When I was on the podium I was still in competition mode, thinking, “I have another race, it’s not over yet.” But then when I got on the plane I saw Rowdy (Gaines) had tweeted “history” and a couple of other people had said something about it. I realized how important it was, and the impact that race might have on the sport.
11. So you are standing there with Lia and Natalie and being the competitor you are, your thought is, “I have to be there for my team” and finish strong?
Simone: Right, I had heard a couple people talking about it at some point before the race, but like I said, I was focusing on the next the race and finishing out the meet strong for my team. I didn’t really think about it…I always thought it would be cool to go 1-2 with Lia, because she’s my teammate and we’re so close, but I hadn’t thought about Natalie or what all three of us could do together. That hadn’t occurred to me until later when everyone was so excited about it.
12. At the meet, when you saw the results, what was your first thought?
Simone: I was really excited when i did see the 1-2-3 by our names because they are both good friends of mine. I knew Natalie back when we were age groupers, maybe I was 9? No, I think I was 12, that was when we swam together. And then training with Lia every day, my training partner, I was so happy she won second. And then to see Natalie third, I thought, “I am so excited for my good friends.” So initially, that was what I was more excited about than anything, that two incredible women who are great friends of mine had done so well, and we could share that moment together.
13. And then it’s Rowdy who draws your attention to it?
Simone: Yes, and that seems fitting, because Rowdy is part of that movement with Cullen Jones and the Make a Splash initiative that has done so much good, important work. So to hear it from him and then swimming as an entire community made me, Lia and Natalie realize it was bigger than we initially thought it was, that it was something much bigger than ourselves because we are helping inspire other people to realize they can do this too. And they will, just like we did.
14. I was proud of all three of you, but I’m not going to lie, how cool is it there were two Texans on the stand?
Simone: You know what they say, “Don’t mess with Texas!”
15. You are throwing me a bone because I’m a Texan to my Rocky Mountain core now, aren’t you?
Simone: It’s true (laughs) that I didn’t think of it that way until now, but I do love Texas, and I am so proud of Natalie and all that she is accomplishing.
16. So now that you do grasp it and it really blew up on social media, what do you make of the recognition and what it does for young swimmers everywhere who had wondered what was possible in this sport?
Simone: It’s pretty cool. I don’t know if I can really put it in to words because I have gotten some comments on Instagram and Twitter and it’s really cool hearing it from these people who I don’t even know – I really appreciate their kindness and support. It is exciting and I hope in the future I can inspire people with my swimming and the talents God has given me. Sharing these blessings is a big part of it.
17. Like you said, Lia and Natalie – no matter color or where they are from, they’d still be two people anyone would be lucky to count as friends, wouldn’t they?
Simone: They are both great people. I love them. I would do anything for them. They are actually two of my really cool friends. I am just smiling right now all evening thinking about both of them, and how blessed I am to be in their lives.
18. So Stanford takes third and it looks like Katie Ledecky joins the team next year – things looking up even more for the rebirth of Stanford swimming?
Simone: They definitely are looking good moving forward. It would be really exciting to have Katie come next year, another great trainer and another great friend of mine. She brings some great fire to the team. It’s exciting because that’s the passion Greg and Tracy coach us with each day, and that gets the team excited. It makes us ready to come to practice every day. They love the sport as much as we do and they are there to help, and that’s something you’ll also hear about Katie from all of us who are friends with her.
19. Teammates that came before you recently at Stanford like Maya DiRado having these incredible endings to their college career and spring-boarding forward into pro careers – how motivating is that for you all on the team?
Simone: It’s very motivating. I have learned a lot from them and hopefuly they have learned from me – that I have helped them as a training partner as they have helped me. What this team ‘s about is we all hold each other accountable. That’s really important in a team atmosphere, to get to our team goals and where we want to go in the sport and in school and even with social skills.
20. This is deservedly a big deal, a fun and exciting thing too, but you had an understanding of the diversity, didn’t you?
Simone: Definitely. Mom and I were talking earlier today, about the talk we had years ago concerning the history of African American swimming. It was after club practice one day when I was 12 years old and I had asked her, “Why don’t I see other people like me swimming?” She kind of looked it up, and my Mom is the kind when there’s a question, we find the answer. There was an article recently posted about diversity, and I had learned all that because my Mom and I had done research on it when I was 12! So yes, this has been on my mind for more than a little while.
With what just happened this weekend at NCAAs and everyone’s reaction to it, I realize this is important, and it is what swimming needs. This is what we need in the sport. Maritza (Correia-McClendon) started this, and Cullen had a big role as well. There were several others, and now a bunch of us are following their lead. It’s also good that swimming is bigger than me and the others, that what we can do now is push it forward and use this avenue to inspire others.
>via: http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=7763&mid=14491