Day in the Life of UF Men's Swimming
Wednesday, March 6, 2002 | Men's Swimming & Diving
By Nicole Dupes, UF Sports Information
Have you ever wondered what athletes were thinking when they stepped up to the plate to hit a homerun, or took a penalty kick that would be the game winning goal? Have you ever wondered what they go through from day to day juggling practice, schoolwork, competitions and friendships? Or have you ever wondered how these athletes made it to this University? These same questions were what inspired me when I first started with this piece. I wanted to gain an in-depth perspective into the individual lives of the athletes that compete proudly for the University of Florida.
Four such proud athletes from the Gator men's swim team, took on a pretty enduring task in a quest for this in-depth knowledge. Seniors Hendrik Odendaal and Mike Jansen, freshman Will Ratliff and transfer Scott Schultz expressed their thoughts about swimming and competing individually for a team, while at the same time being a student and planning for the future.
Hendrik Odendaal
Odendaal, originally from South Africa, is putting the finishing touches on his last season with the Gators. It is match with fate that brought Hendrik to UF just four years ago. He admits that when he came out of high school, his best time was not the best time that the top 20 schools wanted. But when he came to visit some friends in Orlando one summer, the former coach from UF saw him swim at a meet and beat two of his top swimmers. Right away a connection formed and a scholarship was put in place for Odendaal to attend and join the Gators.
With a major in Exercise Physiology, he is hoping to use his background in sports and his love for medicine to create the perfect combination. So far this semester, Hendrik has had the opportunity to shadow the UAA physician Dr. Meister. Twice a week they meet and he has a first hand look at surgeries from sports related injuries. With his typical day starting around 5:30 a.m. with practice, then straight into a full day of classes, more practice, and then a couple hours of studying, Odendaal definitely has his plate full.
He finds his role model in Nelson Mandella, who was so influential in the fight for rights and freedom in South Africa. He also finds his parents to be the people who have most influenced his life, teaching him values and how to be a good person.
"My mom used to swim and she was always there with me when I was a little kid with my swimming," said Odendaal. "She hasn't been able to watch me swim because she is in South Africa, but none the less, she has always been there to support me in every step of my life."
Odendaal describes his experience on the team and at UF as a bit of a roller coaster ride. He saw his first two years on the team as stocked full of emotional and physical ups and downs. When Head Coach Gregg Troy took over the team, the work level increased and Odendaal found himself adjusting a little late. But in the past two years he has grown more into it and has really gotten used to the whole system the coaches use.
"I am starting to look back and think about the past three years and want to stay one more year with the level that we have," said Odendaal. "There is definitely going to be a big hole to fill when all the seniors leave this year, but I am sure that the coaching staff will find the right people to fill it. I have so much faith in them. Look how far they have brought us within the past three years."
With the summer only a few months away, Odendaal is hoping to prepare himself for the South African Nationals, which are the Commonwealth Games.
"I have an outside shot at making the team in April," said Odendaal. "If I make it I will swim with them in July. If not, then I am planning on going home to complete my internship and then attend medical school. Since swimming requires a great deal of time, I may have to hang up my swim suit at the end of the season."
As far as the season is concerned, Odendaal is more then happy with his and the team's performance. Although the team did place second behind Auburn, they are planning on putting in an even better performance at NCAAs.
"I think once we started swimming so well at SECs, people started getting their confidence back and really swimming with the idea that we can win," said Odendaal. "We had a great meet, but this is my final year and I would have definitely wanted to end it with a championship. We will definitely be even better at NCAAs, and hopefully we will be able to get a couple more people qualified to help us in the distance events. Our relays were absolutely amazing. It was a blast. And they will definitely help us in NCAAs."
Mike Jansen
Jansen has been one of the many influential participants in the Gator attack for the past four seasons. With a major in Microbiology, Jansen is hoping to attend medical school to become a Pediatrician. Depending on the outcome of the rest of the season, Jansen is considering attending Senior Nationals, which will take place in Ft Lauderdale, Fla. He also sees qualifying for USA Nationals as an option, but is also heavily considering the conflict it might create with medical school. Whatever he decides, he is planning on staying around as an influential member of the team and as a role model.
With this being his last season swimming for the Gators, Mike is hoping to blow the competition away. After an incredible SEC performance Jansen is hoping to pull off an even better show at the NCAA. Here in his own words are his thoughts about his last season and what he believed as one of the greatest times of his life.
Entry 1: Wednesday, February 20, 2002
Tonight we had the relays. We looked really strong, but we were not really expected to do well, so we just hung back to see what would happen. It is 10:30 now and most of us are trying to wind down from a pretty hectic day. Just watching some of the Olympics to see how the US is doing. It is kind of cool how it is being held in the US, because it has really sparked a lot of national pride within everyone. It was a pretty interesting day. Unbelievably, we won the 200 MR, splitting the butterfly leg beautifully. No one expected us to win so we are pretty jacked about it. We won the 800 Relay, which was the one that we were expecting to win. It was so awesome to be involved, because in the four years that I have been here we have never won a relay so it was definitely something to remember. Tomorrow I have the 200 IM, which is really my off event, but I am looking to score. We should be pretty dominant in the 200 IM and the 50 Free. Who knows, maybe we could pull off a win here tomorrow.
Entry 2: Thursday, February 21, 2002
We are in the lead by one point!!! It is really kind of crazy and everyone is so excited. We have never been in the lead before, in my four years and I don't really know what to do. The guys swam awesome today. We snuck into the finals and picked up second and seventh, which was pretty interesting. We all thought that was going to be our weak event, so with those finishes we are all really jacked about that. In the 200 IM, we had three in the finals and two in the consolation finals, which I was in. I ended up winning the consolation finals with my best time of 1:48, placing me 16th. I was ecstatic about my time though - a personal best at SECs!! (Eric) Donnelly got second and (Chris) Kellam got fourth so we really cleaned up in that event. We had three guys in the final for the 50 free so we are definitely kicking some butt. We had the 200 free relay, which we won with another school record. So it is just indescribable. All the hard work is coming together, and we are really putting on a terrific performance. We still have two more days to go in the event, which makes this whole experience kind of weird, because we are winning already. This has not happened to us as a team in a long time. Tomorrow looks like a pretty rough day. There are a few events that we have to watch out for. Auburn is looking pretty dominant so we are just going to have to hold on. I have the 100 backstroke tomorrow where I am looking to break 48 and be in at least the top three. Right now I think I am just going to relax and try and calm down. I can't sleep because I am too excited about being in first. I mean we have never been in first so I just don't quite know what to do with myself.
Entry 3: Friday, February 22, 2002
Today was a pretty late night with a lot of events. It is almost 11 right now, probably the latest we have gotten in all week. The events were pretty good, but disappointing. We fell a little behind Auburn, somewhere around 40 points I think. It is definitely going to be hard for us to come back. They absolutely killed us in the breaststroke. They had five guys in the finals and we had three in the consolations. I feel pretty bad for Ansel (Tjin-A-Tam), because he pulled his groin and still swam a pretty good swim. It was tough for him and we all saw it and were really proud of him because it shows a lot of pride to still get out there and perform. The night swim was pretty good. Kellam won the 100 back and I got fifth, just being out touched, sort of messing up my finish. But I did end up setting anther best time with 1:48.1, so I can't be unhappy about that. This has definitely been our best second day that we have ever had. We had three guys in the final in the 100 fly, three guys in the 100 back, Adam (Sioui) won the 200 free with 1:34, Carlos (Jayme) placed third in his event and Donnelly got second in the 400 IM. I mean we had guys everywhere, in the finals and in the consolations all day long. We are all really proud of our teammates and ourselves, because we really hung in there. We are at the highest point total that we have ever been. The relay at the end was a little disappointing because we didn't do as well as we thought we were going to do. Tomorrow should look a bit different. I have the 200 backstroke tomorrow, which is my best event. It is definitely going to be a tough morning, which is going to mean a tougher warm up. I am really proud of the guys though, because I can honestly see that they are trying to win this for our seniors and I really appreciate that. Tomorrow evening should be fun either way. We definitely aren't going to give up.
Entry 4: Sunday, February 24, 2002
It is about 3:50 in the morning. We are just getting ready to leave. We have to be on the bus at 4 so that we can catch our 5:45 flight to head back to Gainesville. I think we all got about an hour's sleep last night. We did really well, only losing by about 19 points so we really caught up to Auburn. We are all still really pumped and excited, because we swam our hearts out this past week. As a whole, this team is the best team that I have ever swam with. I could not have picked a better group of guys to have as teammates. It was a pleasure to swim with all of them and, as a captain, I am so proud of them. The girls won, which was a great thing for the entire team, but deep down all the guys were a bit disappointed, because we really rallied to come back. We worked hard, swam hard and we are definitely going to finish hard. There are still five more weeks in the season so we are all training to come back even stronger and hopefully turn some more heads at NCAAs. Till then, Go Gators!!
Scott Schultz
Scott Schultz has made an incredible transition to the Gator swim team. He began his collegiate swimming career with Nebraska, but shortly after he decided that his talents would be better put to use under the direction of Coach Troy. Now that he has been here for almost a full season, he feels adapted to the schedule and expectations of all the coaches.
"The level of swimming between the two schools is definitely a huge difference," said Schultz. "We have very good practices that challenge us with good coaches, who know exactly what to say to get us motivated and swimming at the level that we need to be at. I do miss my friends and teammates at Nebraska, but I am also glad that I made the switch. I feel that my talents are being extended and used to their fullest here."
Schultz, a resident of Ft Lauderdale, Fla., has plans to return home and enjoy a small break, while continuing to train with his club team. He is still considering taking part in Summer Nationals, which would also give him a chance to qualify for the Goodwill Games, but wants to see how this season pans out.
As a key participant in the relays that brought victory to the Gators, Scott expresses what it takes to compete against other highly competitive schools and a few ex-teammates in the Southeastern Conference Championships.
Entry 1: Monday, February 18, 2002 10:30
We're on our way to SECs, by plane. We got frisked at Gainesville airport, which was pretty weird. I had to take my shoes off and put them through the metal detector. It should be a short flight to Atlanta. Everything is going well, and we are all really excited and pumped. We have just been joking around, trying to keep things mellow, but under the surface we are all just jumping around. We don't want to over stress ourselves before the meet starts so we are all just trying to keep the atmosphere laughable. We still have two more days once we get there before we actually start. The divers are going on right now, so I hope they are doing well.
Entry 2:
We just arrived here in Atlanta, and I am getting kind of nervous. I just talked to coach and he said I might be on the 800 free relay. It is almost certain, because it is between another swimmer and me, but he is already on another relay, so coach may use me, which means I have to go pretty fast. I don't want to think about it too much, because it will make me really self-conscious about my swim. There is a lot of tension and nervous energy here, so we are trying to keep it mellow. We still have another flight till we hit Arkansas and hit the pool. I hope I feel good once I get there, because that is what is going to set it all up. I know we are going to swim well though.
Entry 3:
It is eight hours later and we are finally at the airport in Arkansas. The flight was decent, but we sat on the runway for about 40 minutes. I think we are all kind of excited about this though. We are going to swim pretty freakin' fast. Warm ups will start once we get to the pool, which is where the women's team has been hanging out for quite some time now. I am definitely starting to get excited.
Entry 4: Wednesday, February 20, 2002
Yesterday, we went to the pool and warmed up a bit, which was really crowded. The excitement level was really starting to rise about that time. The pool is going to swim very fast, it has double lanes and the gutters are nice, but the deck space is pretty old. Coach Troy told us this already so we have a little bit of an advantage over those who are a bit taken by it. After taking a nap, we went to go see the diving competition. The divers are doing really well, so, so far we were off to a good start. When diving was over, we came back to the room and sort of chilled out watching movies in our rooms, while some finished shaving. Today we are all just trying to stay focused, to keep that mellow attitude. We don't want to get too excited and wear ourselves out before the meet. The first events are the relays, which I am on, with my roommate T-dunc. We have the 200 MR in the afternoon, then we come back to rest a bit and then we have some more events tonight. The individual events start tomorrow so it is on then. I am getting a little nervous about the 800 tonight, but I guess that is expected. So far, it looks like it is going to be a really fast meet. I have been seeing a lot of old friends and ex-teammates from Nebraska, which has been weird and cool at the same time, because I have to compete against them on a completely different team.
Entry 5
Our first night is over and we swam really well in the prelims. We had two relays, the 200 and the 800 relay. We were seeded well coming into the finals and when we came in everyone was really ready to go. We warmed up and had a couple of team cheers, which really got us going. The atmosphere was really electric. It was the first SECs for me and it was incredible coming in with such a great bunch of guys. We definitely caught them all by surprise tonight. The guys were just off the chain. We swam lights out. The 200 MR was insane. No one expected us to be there, because that relay has never been that strong for us. We aren't really a sprint-oriented program, but we really surprised people tonight. Before our race, in heat one, Georgia placed first so they were going nuts. When we saw that we knew that we had to show them what we were made of. Gabriel (Mangabeira) swam the backstroke with 22.05, which was faster than the Georgia guy, so I knew that we had it. The breaststroke split was really good, but we were a bit behind. Hendrik dove in on a great start and caught up to the rest of the field and actually on the turn just pushed off a great turn and was already ahead. Jim (Kostowicz) swam the 50 free to bring it home and we beat Auburn by .02 seconds. Everyone was going nuts. The coaches almost fell in the pool. But we had to calm ourselves, because we still had the 800 relay to go, which I was in. The atmosphere was just incredible. Everyone was hugging and giving high fives and was just really pumped. We started off well, were a little bit behind, but Adam swam, splitting it beautifully, which is incredible, because it pulled us ahead by a body length after the second leg. His leg was completely vital to the team. He swam so fast, feeling no pain. I went third, really nervous. I felt no pain for the first hundred. I even thought that I was going really slow. I went out too fast, using my legs too much, and got tired in the last 100. My time was decent, but I didn't split it very well, so I was a little disappointed with my swim, because I know I could have gone faster. Duncan (Sherrard) swam the last leg with a 1:35, beating everyone by at least 2 seconds. We completely wrecked everyone. We were so pumped, because we beat all the teams that had given us such a hard time throughout the season. The awards stand was awesome. It was the first time I had gotten a gold medal. We set an SEC record, which just added to the excitement. Everyone was so happy. After warming down, we went to dinner and then met with the coaches to discuss what went on. We completely blew away the competition, giving them a run for their money. Coach calmed us down and explained that we had to keep our composure, because the meet is long and it goes up and down emotionally and physically. Right now we are looking good. Auburn is a bit upset about the relays, so they are definitely going to use this as fuel to speed them up. Now it is time to go to bed and get some shut-eye. Tomorrow I have the 50 free, which is the shortest event and no pain.
Entry 6: Friday, February 22, 2002
Yesterday was on awesome day. The guys did real well, getting fourth., fifth and sixth in the finals. The guys 200 freestyle relay was probably the most interesting event of the night. We had a pretty tough heat with really tough schools, and we really stepped up and surprised everyone. We started off really fast with no real leads throughout the entire race. By the end it was just Auburn and us, with us just a little behind. Hendrik got in and was just a head in front of Auburn. The last leg was just incredible bringing us from behind. Gabriel was just incredible, he was going so fast. It was really intense when it came down to the end with us just hitting the wall about .3 seconds ahead of Auburn. They were really upset about that, because that race was their bread and butter race. They were really expecting to come in and win that, but we ended up surprising them and everyone with a win. It was an amazing time last night, about the most fun I have ever had. Now we have to stay focused. Today we have some good events, but Auburn does as well too. We just have to keep the adrenaline going. I am a little nervous about the 200 free, because I didn't split it too well in the relay. I owe it to myself and the team to swim well. It is just incredible to be here at the SECs, swimming for such a great school. Definitely one of the best moments of my life, just to be here with my best friends.
Entry 7: Saturday, February 23, 2002
Yesterday was good for the team, but unfortunately not good for me in particular. We had a couple of guys in the finals, which was really good. For me, I was seeded 14th in the 200 freestyle. I had a best time in the morning, which was good, but I knew I could have gone faster. I mis-swam it again a little bit, because I misjudged the rest of the heat. Later as we showed up for finals, after our warm up, the parents came down and a few of the fathers took their shirts off during one of our cheers and had Gators written in body paint on their stomachs. My dad was the "O". It was definitely one of the funniest things I had ever seen. The parents really got us pumped and off to a great start. We were ahead of Auburn by ten points. I went up for the 200 freestyle and they said that I rolled the start so they disqualified me. It was a really weird moment for me, because I was not expecting that. I talked to coach and he said that I just needed to focus on the next race and keep the level up. It was good advice and I just ended up warming down for the rest of the night and tried not to think about it. Today is the 100 freestyle and I have so much adrenaline going. I am going to try and show them that I was the wrong person to disqualify. We are in second place today and have really good events, which should help to bring us back up. We are really looking to go fast and hopefully win this whole thing. These chances don't come every day so we definitely want to swim well. I think we have the ability to win this thing, because we are mentally strong and physically capable.
Entry 8: Sunday, February 24, 2002
I am back at the dorms now. Last night was just crazy. We were down to Auburn and looking to do really well. I was tied for 13th in the freestyle. In finals I stepped up and didn't swim the way I wanted to. I didn't expect to swim that slowly. Everyone was swimming well and here I was DQ once in one event and I didn't score in the 50, and in my last event I tried my hardest and let it all hang out and it just wasn't really there. I scored one point for the team, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I was upset with my performance, but I put that aside to cheer on my teammates in the last few events, which helped me feel a bit better. We started catching up to Auburn, scoring a couple in the final, but Tennessee really helped to keep Auburn's points down. Towards the end of the night, coach came over and told me that I had to time trial, because I missed the NCAA cut time by .05 seconds. So it was really tough for me to go through those somewhat disappointing swims and then just push them aside to do a time trial. It took incredible mental toughness and so far I am not having a very good meet. The attitude for me had really changed a bit, because of my perspective on my past two swims. The last relays were coming up and the atmosphere was really electric. The women just had to not DQ in the last relay and then they would capture the conference title. They placed third and won the title so they were just going crazy. It was unimaginable. It was bittersweet for the men, because even if Auburn had DQ in the last race, we would have missed first by 19 points. So we decided to go out and break a school record and get four out of five gold medals in the relays. We proved that we had class and that we are tough to beat. Auburn did end up disqualifying in the last race, but they still took the conference title. All together it was a meet filled with ups and downs, a little disappointing for myself, because I wanted to really help the team, and I really had faith in myself to accomplish that. We really worked hard, crushing the other teams, showing them that we really worked hard this season. After the entire meet was done, we gathered together as a team and sang our Alma Mater, and cheered one last cheer to bring us back together. From the team perspective it was amazing, an indescribable feeling to come from behind and almost beat a top three school. My favorite inspirational quote from the whole trip was "If you train hard, you will not only be hard, but you will be hard to beat." That just sums up our program and our team.
Will Ratliff
Ratliff, who has had an excellent season setting personal bests in the breaststroke and freestyle, grew up in a small town in Montgomery County, Ky. Born to the parents Byrum and Jennifer Ratliff, Will is one of six children. He chose swimming as an alternative to drugs, which was pretty popular among the youth of his hometown, and as an alternative to team sports. He wanted to take part in an activity that depended more on the individual strengths of an athlete.
Now that his first season has almost come to a close, his attention is set on making his first appearance at NCAAs. Although he did not have the chance to take part in SECs, he is not letting that stand in his way to end his season with an exclamation mark. Shortly before the team traveled to Arkansas for SECs, the Last Chance meet took place in Jacksonville for the cut to take part at the SECs, in which Will took part. Here in his own words are his thoughts about what it felt like to compete against his own teammates for the few remaining spots.
Entry: February 13, 2002
Today, nine of us swimmers left for a meet in Jacksonville to compete against each other for the last two spots on the SEC team. It's kind of weird that in this sport, the guys you train with and have been a team with all year long, are the guys you have to step up against and race and hope to beat. We left in a UAA van that half way through the trip blew a tire. So we had to order taxis from the side of the freeway to get to the pool. Tonight was just a short loosen up and no competition. The real meet starts tomorrow.
Entry: February 14, 2002
Today was the first day of the meet and my first races. During my morning preliminary swims, I missed my turn on the relay and swam a 21.55, which is a pretty good time considering a bad turn and the bad conditions of the pool. I was a little disappointed, but I knew I could redeem myself during the night swim. So far, the meet isn't that intense and the pool is really dark and shallow. We are definitely the fastest team here, but this is a great time to learn how to get focused and race against each other. The night swim was pretty good and really set me up nice for the next day. I swam a pretty good individual, which caught my coach's attention, and placed me on the 400 M.R. swimming the breaststroke leg of it. I was really happy about it, because it meant that my coach had faith in me to swim well.
Entry: February 15, 2002
It was the second day of the meet and everything is going well today. Both relay swims were solid with the one at night being really good, which set me up perfectly for the 100. I was pumped up for the race, and when the time came I was ready. I was revved and started the race feeling awesome. But then I came to the second turn and came off it bad, which screwed up my whole race. My teammate next to me left me after that mistake and went on to win the race. It was crazy how that one little mistake cost me a best time and the win and possibly a national cut. I sort of felt that that one little mistake almost made my season worth nothing. All the hard work came down to a mistake that I should not have made. But when it was all done I realized that I still have more meets left where I know now that I am able to swim fast.
Entry: February 16, 2002
Today was the final day of the three-day meet and I felt pretty run down. All of us knew it was our last time to impress the coaches and give them a solid reason to take two of us to the conference meet. Everyone was ready, and soon it was my turn to swim. I swam the 200 breaststroke, and ended up swimming a lifetime best, but in the end, my teammate beat me. I pretty much knew from there that I was not going to make the team. I was still going to have more chances to make NCAAs, but that was going to be even harder. I realized that everything was going to work out, because I knew that I would not be in this sport or on this team if it were easy.
Entry February 17, 2002
We made it back to Gainesville pretty late, so this morning I slept in. Sundays are our rest days so I decided to relax and just take care of some small errands. Swimming was in my head all day. I realized that I have to be positive with my outlook. Swimming isn't life and death and after a summer of figuring out what life and death is all about it is small in the total scheme of things. After spending all summer on my back in the hospital in a burn unit, you see some things that make me appreciate everything I have going for me. This meet gave me inspiration to swim fast and reach higher goals, but in order to do that I am going to have to work even harder, as impossible as it may seem.
The Gator men's swimming and diving team has had almost a storybook season, with terrific individual and team performances that have broken numerous records. Although the season is beginning to come to a close, both teams are in full steam ahead. With an incredible SEC Championship performance by both teams, the women claiming another SEC title and the men placing second behind Auburn, all are emotionally and physically pumped to give their absolute best performances.
These four swimmers allowed for an in-depth look into the real lives of athletes, who put themselves mentally and physically on the line almost every day. They gave us a closer look into their minds, which has up until now been a mystery to the common fan. They are all incredible individuals who have brought recognition, faith and pride to the University and all its students. The quality that exists in our student athletes is something not even a competition can award them.
