AASC thanks these sponsors of 50 Years of Memories: 1956-2006

Consumers Energy

Different Strokes

Knox Presbyterian Church

Legacy Printing

Speedo

AASC Swimmer Profile

By Heather Keeler

The young athletes of Ann Arbor Swim Club have more in common than chlorine-damaged hair and the ability to circle-swim. Look beyond the statistics of PRs and qualifying times, and you will find busy, motivated, smart young people who pursue a wide variety of interests outside of their pool time.

In this issue, look beyond times and achievements to see the busy, socially conscious, highly motivated and eclectic group of young people that comprise Ann Arbor Swim Club. AASC swimmers are defined by the spirit, humor, personalities and dreams of this growing group of dedicated, hard-working and fun-loving young people.

About the Survey

During January and February, 32 AASC swimmers submitted an online AASC Swimmer Survey, which questioned athletes about aspects of swimming, academics, extracurricular activities, and gave them an opportunity to ask and answer their own free-form question — all to better understand the common experiences, goals and motivations of lane partners, from the youngest to the eldest of our age-group program.

All About Swimming

Ann Arbor Swim Club draws young swimmers from near and far to its training lanes. For 37% of the swimmers surveyed, the practice location is within 1-5 miles of their home. Another 34% travel 6-15 miles to practice one way. However, 28% travel more than 16 miles one way to practice, and the three AASC respondents who travel more than 25 miles one way log over 50 miles a day!

These swimmers average 2 hours daily at swim practice (average is higher among 13&O, lower among 12&U), and 59% of them are state-level competitors and above, including zone, sectional, and Junior National qualifiers. About 31% are Q2 and Q3 qualifiers.

What motivates these dedicated young athletes? The love of competition. From the youngest to the oldest of those surveyed, the primary motivation for doing what they do is competition (81%). This competitive spirit does not vary by age group. For many, it is cited as their secondary motivation as well. Other motivating factors include fitness, personal-best times, and friends.

A 13-14 female swimmer shares her warmup routine: "I make sure that I have warmed up enough and stretched out so that way I am confident that I have prepared myself, and I can focus and get excited for my race."

For another 11-12 male, "Pounding on my thighs and jumping up and down" gets him ready to race.

Survey questions about favorite and least favorite events yielded answers as varied as the individuals surveyed. While some responded that "anything butterfly" was their least favorite, another responded that "all fly events" were their favorite. Although distance freestyle events were most commonly cited as the least favorite (one respondent reports that his "mind goes numb during the mile"), some AASC swimmers find races that require lap-counters to be ideal. There is something for everyone in the pool.

What benefits have these young AASC athletes gained from the sport of swimming? One 10&U male swimmer states simply and poignantly, "Confidence." 

Others cite all that parents hope for: friends, fitness, fun, teamwork, goal-setting, strength, the value of hard work and time management skills. Some benefits are character-building; some are of a more superficial nature, such as "strong legs and lots of ribbons!" as noted by a 10&U female. One 15-18 male credits swimming for "friends and a sweet body." Another 15-18 female credits swimming for her "serious athlete friends" and "being recruited for college."

Academics

AASC survey respondents average 1.5 hours a day on homework. The average is higher among 13&O, lower among 12&U. Twenty-eight of 32 respondents indicated average grades of A or A/B, and the average GPA among 13&O swimmers is an impressive 3.76. This average 3.76 GPA is well above the norm for high school and collegiate student-athletes. See how AASC student-athletes compare to national standards.

Respondents indicate overwhelming preferences for core academic subjects such as math (34%), science (21%) and language arts such as reading, writing and journaling (18%). 

Interestingly, 81% of respondents describe an ideal study spot, which leads one to believe that among these student-athletes a study location is not a random thing, but a conscious selection.

Extracurriculars

AASC swimmers have very active lives away from the pool, too. Their interests and talents are diverse, and other sports, music and religious affiliations figure prominently in their lives. These young athletes make time for faith-based activities.

• Activities through religious affiliations (church and temple, confirmation, Sunday school, other religious education) and youth groups such as Young Life
• Academic pursuits such as poetry classes, art, drawing, Kumon
• Other activities such as school plays, yearbook, National Honor Society and scouting

What social and political issues concern AASC swimmers? Among those surveyed, 41% list concerns about the environment, endangered species, wildlife, world health, poverty, democracy, the war in Iraq, peace, concerns about the US presidency, women's issues/rights, social justice/prison issues and Right to Life.

One might expect that the older swimmers would demonstrate the greater social or political interests, but this is not the case. Roughly half of each age group cite a social or political issue that concerns them (11 of 19 12&U; 8 of 13 13&O).

With such busy lives, what kind of sleep are AASC swimmers getting? Most AASC swimmers surveyed report they get 7-8 hours' sleep each night (59%), largely among the 13&O swimmers. About 34%, largely among 12&U survey respondents, get a more robust 9-10 hours' sleep.

When they find a spare moment, AASC swimmers primarily read magazines related to sports and swimming (Splash, Swimming World, Sports Illustrated, TransWorld Snowboarding), and their local newspapers, with sports and comics sections of greatest interest. Also popular: Teen People, Cosmo Girl, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, National Geographic Kids, Popular Science, Newsweek, Nintendo Power, Consumer Reports, Business Week and Time.

Free-form

Few respondents took advantage of the opportunity to pose their own question and answer it, but those who did reveal the quirks of their personalities and interests, from Snowy Owls to cars to Pablo Neruda.

"What will you be when you grow up? An astronaut!" 10&U male

"What's your favorite raptor? Snowy Owl! 10&U female

"What is my favorite dessert? Ice cream cake. 11-12 male

"What's up with your hair, dude? I can't cut it before States!" 11-12 male

"What is the best car? 2006 Nissan 350Z Touring MT. Exterior color Silver Metallic. Interior trim Burnt Orange Leather. Total: $37,180 or 2006 Cadillac Escalade AWD. Exterior color Black Raven. Interior Trim Pewter Nuance Leather. Total: $65,365." 11-12 male

"Why swim? I swim because I absolutely love it. Sometimes you feel like you want to quit after a hard practice but for some reason you keep coming back every day. And then when you get to a meet and shatter your best time, all that hard work really pays off and you are on the top of the world." 13-14 female

"If you could spend an hour with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? I would spend my hour with Pablo Neruda asking him about how he was able to turn concrete things into such beautiful poems. I would also ask him about his childhood." 15-18 female

"What was my favorite swim experience? Being on the first-place relay at US Central Zones; being on a Division 1 record-setting high school relay." 15-18 male

AASC Lessons

This survey section was intended for high school seniors, but responses came from many age groups. Their thoughts reveal the unique personalities of those who train in our pools.

From an 11-12 female swimmer who hopes to swim in college: "I hope that if any of my teammates stop swimming, that we stay in touch and stay friends." AASC has taught this young athlete valuable lessons about "goal setting and being good to yourself to help swim better."

From an 11-12 male who hopes to swim in college, his wish is for teammates to "go fast ....... er." AASC has taught him valuable lessons about setting goals and hard work.

According to one 13-14 male who hopes to swim in college, AASC has taught him how to "set goals, work hard, pay attention and how to come back from an injury."

A 15-18 female who plans to swim in college offers these parting thoughts to teammates: "Make it part of your routine to do every warmup, every set, every day, every race, every cool down, every time, with the same intensity and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish." AASC has taught her, "You can only swim as well as you train. Focus on technique in practice during really difficult sets, so you aren't fighting the water, but slipping through it."

And finally, these words of advice from a 15-18 male AASC swimmer: "Whatever you do, do it right and with the right attitude!"

Our 50th Anniversary party has made national news! See page 30 of the March/April issue of Splash magazine for a feature story of AASC's Golden Anniversary, or visit the club website's Latest News.

AASC championship teams, congratulations on a first-place finish at 12&U States and a third-place finish at 13&O States. The Jr. National team finished first-place women's and third-place overall.

You don't have to be a genius to understand the work of the Nobel Prize winners. Try out about 50 games and simulations based on Prize-winning achievements, from lasers to blood typing to ruling a country, and more. Note age and Flash player suggestions for each game.

Next Issue: Memories of fun, friends and fast times ... the memorable moments of AASC swimmers, alumni and coaches linger long past their age-group swimming years.