Despite running into a couple of bumps because of the inclement weather, which forced the team out of its training facility, UCLA swim has been practicing and training hard.
As the women prepare themselves for No. 1 USC, No. 3 Cal and No. 8 Stanford, they will use this weekend against Simon Fraser to iron out some technicalities and to perfect the smaller details.
“We’re excited to race coming out of winter training,” said junior Jesse Bergman. “All the meets we have now are preparing us for the big meets.”
The team has been focused on watching videos to gain a different perspective on their swimming. They film its strokes and then take them apart in detail.
“It’s good to really see what we need to work on because a lot of times it’s different if (the coach) tells us something. But once we finally see a video of ourselves doing it, then it really clicks,” said junior Emily Weir.
This winter, the No. 12 Bruins have taken a different route to their training. Aside from conditioning, they have focused on team building exercises and activities to determine personality types. The swimmers feel that these activities have helped them better motivate their teammates.
“We really tried to apply that to (the last) meet and I think our cheering really influenced a lot,” Weir said.
The team is confident that with the new understanding of its teammates, the dynamic will help push it through the next few weeks and into the big meets in March, beginning with the Pac-12 championships.
“We’ve done a lot of different things that have really built us up as a team and has everyone working together well, so I think (the rest of the season) is going to be interesting,” Bergman said.
The undefeated Bruins have shown that their strength lies in their versatility and depth. These two skills are a huge advantage for the women and they are using this to get them through these next few meets.
“I think we’re fired up. We’re really feeling a good team energy and we’re ready to go for it,” said junior Cynthia Fascella.
Email Patricio at mpatricio@media.ucla.edu.