Monday, 6/2/97 Swimming one stroke, one breath ahead of the rest
SWIMMING: Calmness, consistency, confidence result in success for
junior breaststroker
By Arin Aboulian Daily Bruin Contributor Consistency is not a
gift presented to an individual, nor is it a talent that certain
individuals possess, but rather it is earned through hard work and
dedication by the individual. For UCLA junior swimmer Lindsay
Etter, her consistent performances in every meet earned her a spot
in the NCAA finals in March, where she earned a bronze medal in the
100-meter breaststroke. Etter’s consistency stems from her attitude
toward swimming and toward life. With a calm and relaxed demeanor
that masks a very deep and competitive fire, she has emerged as one
of the best swimmers on the Bruin team. Etter credits her
competitive attitude as the key to her success. "I started swimming
because of my competitiveness," Etter said. "I wanted to be better
than my older brother at something, anything, and swimming was the
first option. "Although I did not beat him at the beginning, I beat
him now," Etter added, with a wide smile on her face. Her brother
and all of his trophies motivated Etter to go into swimming. Her
brother attended California and played water polo for the Golden
Bears. Their sibling rivalry has made Etter a consistent performer
at UCLA swim meets. Etter swam in every meet this season and placed
in each of them. Despite the rivalry, swimming has never been a
huge part of Etter’s life, and she has a somewhat different outlook
on swimming than most of her competitors. "Swimming was always real
low key," Etter said. "It was never real serious, just for fun."
Etter might have started swimming for fun, but she has achieved a
lot more than she expected when she first started swimming. She
grew up in the Bay Area, but her family moved to Texas later in her
childhood. With the move, Etter had to make some adjustments in her
life. She swam in her freshman and sophomore years of high school,
but then she quit the team. She was not even sure she would
continue swimming until she was contacted by college recruiters and
offered the opportunity to swim at the next level. Thus Etter
continued her swim career, which landed her here at UCLA with a
scholarship. Since coming to UCLA, she has emerged as the premier
breaststroke swimmer on the team and one of the leaders on a very
young Bruin squad, even though she doesn’t consider herself to be
one. "I am not a very vocal person," Etter said. "Therefore, I try
to do my best, and hopefully, the energy I create is leading. I try
to lead by setting an example." Etter has surely set a great
example for all of her teammates to follow. For example, she
finished in second place in the 100-yard breaststroke at the Pac-10
championships. But despite her successful swim career here at UCLA,
she does not plan on swimming after finishing college. "I have
thought about the Olympics of 2000," Etter said, "but after college
… I am definitely going to need a break. I do not worry about
that now." In addition to her competitiveness in and out of the
pool, she also has a lot of confidence in herself and her
abilities. This confidence makes her a very calm and relaxed person
with a burning desire to win. Her poise is most evident before
races, when she simply sits and waits for the race to start while
others are jumping up and down, swinging their arms and breathing
really hard, tying to intimidate other swimmers. Etter, on the
other hand, does not care who she is racing against. "I am not an
intimidating person," Etter said. "Besides, if I am relaxed, I
control myself better. I do not like wasting energy before my
races." The junior’s calm race demeanor is a change in attitude
from the Etter who first arrived at UCLA. When she came in as a
freshmen, the pressure of college competition affected her, turning
Etter into a nervous wreck. She recalls that she would forget to
breathe during races. However, she has defeated her nerves and is
now a calm, cool and confident competitor who goes out to win. In
dealing with her nerves, Etter sought the guidance of religion, and
praying during races helps her forget her nerves. "I pray for the
smallest things that would make me smile," Etter said. "Thinking
about God every five meters helped (me) to remember to breathe.
"Swimming is like walking to me. It is very second nature for me. I
just do it." Swimming has helped Etter put her life into
perspective and has brought more order into her life. The rigorous
schedule that college swimming requires commands all of her
attention. So much that sometimes Etter has to step back and take a
deep breath. GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin Lindsay Etter masters the
breaststroke.