Over Thanksgiving break, one would expect to eat copious amounts of turkey and then fall asleep watching the Cowboys-Dolphins game. Ting Quah, a sophomore swimmer and member of Singapore’s 2008 Olympic team, had an unfortunately more eventful break, breaking her arm in a surfing incident.
“It’s like having the quarterback out,” coach Cyndi Gallagher said. “The others are just going to have to step it up and swim faster until she gets back.”
Quah is one of the top two sprinters on the UCLA’s women’s swim team (1-2, 0-2 Pac-12). The other athlete in this fast duo, Cynthia Fascella, will also not be able to compete at the Texas Invitational this weekend.
Fascella, also a sophomore, competed on the NCAA-qualifying 400 meter freestyle relay team with Quah at the previous invitational, but is recovering from an illness and cannot travel with the team.
The other athletes who will not be competing at the Texas Invitational are staying home to study for finals next week.
And so, the UCLA women’s swim team will begin the three-day competition Thursday in Austin with only 18 swimmers.
However, senior Bianca Casciari was not discouraged by the numerous absences.
“I think 18 is still a pretty good number for us,” Casciari said. “(But) we definitely miss the people at home. We have a pretty big presence on the pool decks, so that’s nice.”
The athletes who are traveling must also deal with the pressure of swimming at the collegiate level one week and taking finals the next.
“We actually study a lot on the trip,” Casciari said. “The coaches really understand. It’s hard to find a balance when you want to focus 100 percent of your energies on swimming … but having everybody on the same page makes it easier to come home and study when you need to.”
The women’s swim team will race against a variety of teams this weekend, including USC, Stanford and Texas. Many competitors will be aiming for coveted NCAA-qualifying times. Gallagher will not be focusing on swimmers qualifying, however, as the team is not at the level that she would like to begin racing the clock for championship spots.
“It’s another opportunity to race at a higher level,” Gallagher said. “Every coach has their own way of doing things. … We take a little bit more time in the fall to work on the basics.”
Senior Madison Fitzgerald stays focused on the race by keeping her competitors anonymous.
“I really don’t think about it,” Fitzgerald said. “You’re in your own lane and you’re swimming against swimmers. It’s kind of like your own individual race.”
As for the loss of Quah and the resulting impact on the rest of the team, Fitzgerald has expressed faith that everyone will continue working together to improve.
“It was definitely shocking to hear that she was hurt,” Fitzgerald said. “I think everyone’s done a really good job of staying focused and keeping the end goal in sight.”