UCLA’s performance against Simon Fraser on Saturday was just as sweet as the cupcakes the team shared afterwards. And as for the individual wins and excellent times – they were just the icing on the cake.
“We were solid. We did a good job of manufacturing excitement,” coach Cyndi Gallagher said.
Swim, which outraced the Division II Simon Fraser 114-76, used this meet primarily to apply many of the techniques they have worked on in practice and to stay in racing shape.
“Today was more of training meet. … We did a lot of technique work this past week, just kind of focusing on the details and little things we learned through video,” senior Stephanie Christofferson said.
In addition to the analysis of swimming videos, the team has been training holistically by learning about what motivates people through various personality assessments. This, according to the swimmers, translated well into the pool – especially in terms of the girls’ enthusiasm.
Other factors, like the celebration of sophomore Noelle Tarazona’s birthday with cupcakes, only added to the sense of enthusiasm.
“It was fun, it was a quick meet, but at the same time there was a lot of positive energy,” Tarazona said. “We try to keep the team spirit really positive, and I think we really did that.”
With Stanford, Cal and USC fast approaching, however, the swimmers hope that Saturday’s win will invigorate team for the upcoming races.
“It’s nice to have a meet to keep you focused,” Christofferson said. “If you have just three weeks of training it’s hard, but when you race you get excited about the next time you race.”
However, though this meet stood apart as a great motivator, the next few weeks aren’t all fun and games. The swimmers will have to stay focused and work even harder in the upcoming weeks.
“They constantly have to be ready to race. And I think that’s the challenge of swimming,” Gallagher said.
What has kept the swimmers strong, Gallagher notes, is their awareness of each other and the mutual respect that grows from friendly competition.
“It’s not a lovefest, by any means. We have to work hard at it … and learn and grow,” Gallagher said. “(But the girls) genuinely like each other, and it’s the Bruin pride too. This is bigger than them.”