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Behind the Blocks: NCAAs or bust tracks the training and development of former All Met swimmers working towards the goal of making the NCAA Division I championship meet in March during the 2013-2014 season. Each week the swimmers will post a personal blog about training with their respective school’s swim program and the daily challenges of life as a student-athlete at the D1 level. Check back every Tuesday for new blog posts, and join us throughout the season for a behind-the-scenes look at some of the country’s elite collegiate swimmers and swim programs.
Eva Greene is a junior at the University of California-Berkeley. She started her swimming career with the Tuckahoe Tigers in the NVSL and continued with McLean High School where she was MVP from 2008-2011. She was named PVS Swimmer of the Year in 2009 as a member of Machine Aquatics. Read all of Eva’s blog posts here.
This past weekend marked my third Pac-12 Championship meet, and I must say, it might be the most memorable one yet. Not because we won, but because of the amazing and undeniable fighting spirit I saw in each and every one of my teammates.
It’s no secret that the Bears have stumbled a bit these past few weeks. With tough losses to USC and Stanford, some serious injuries, as well as the everyday pressures and stress of being D1 collegiate student-athletes, we’ve hit the highest of the highs and lowest of the lows. At first, this trend seemed to carry over into the meet. On the first day of competition we started off with incredible first- and second-place finishes in the 800 freestyle and 200 medley relays respectively, only to run into some bad luck with a few disqualifications the very next day. The momentum we got going appeared to hit a wall in less than 24 hours. Just like that.
This is where that fighting spirit kicked in. With a pep talk from our coaches and the mindset that the meet was definitely not over yet, my teammates swam like anything was possible, with no holding back. We always remind ourselves that good swims at night are only possible with great swims in the morning, so that next morning the Bears came in piping hot and rolled through the rest of the day with determination.
Given the unfortunate reality that I’m confined to a cast and wasn’t swimming last week, I had a very different experience this time around. I was up in the stands for most of the meet filming races and leading cheers in the parents’ section, grateful that I got to be there to support my teammates. But instead of being in the middle of the action, I was quietly observing on the sidelines.
The whole week was thrilling, but I think one of my favorite memories was during the final of the 200 backstroke on the last night. Five of the eight swimmers in the ‘A’ final were Bears, which is pretty rare. I was sitting among another team’s parent section for filming, and that was all anyone seemed to be talking about: This stellar group of athletes donning ‘Cal’ on their caps. One parent, completely oblivious to my “CALIFORNIA” shirt and head-to-toe Cal gear, loudly questioned, “Don’t you just wonder what those backstroke workouts at Cal are like?” In that moment, the biggest smile appeared on my face as I tried to stifle a little chuckle because I do, in fact, know what those backstroke workouts are like.
For me, being a swimmer at Cal is a total dream come true. My freshman year I walked around most of the time with a big dumb smile on my face, happily soaking in every single moment. Three years have passed, and those awestruck moments aren’t as constant as the newness fades. However, this was one of those moments that brought me back to freshman-year Eva. We took first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth places in that 200 backstroke race, and I couldn’t help but break my silence as I jumped up and screamed for my fellow Cal Bear backstrokers. I’ll never forget the stunned looks on the faces of the opposing team’s parents as they quickly realized they had been unknowingly gossiping in my ear about my teammates for the past five minutes. Oops… go Bears!
Although not everything went exactly according to plan, we were resilient. Everyone contributed in one way or another, and we exceeded our expectations as a team (shout out to my fellow D.C.-area local, diver Annie Kastler, for surprising herself with an awesome fourth-place finish on 3-meter!!).
Being forced to sit this one out only leaves me that much more excited for my next and final season as a Golden Bear; however, the season isn’t over just yet. In two weeks the team will travel to Minneapolis to compete in the NCAA Championship. So far, 15 of my teammates have qualified, which is the biggest team we’ve had at NCAAs in Cal history. Our divers compete this week at their Zone qualifying meet, so wish them the best of luck! Also, keep up with the Cal Men’s swim and dive as they compete to defend their Pac-12 title this week.
So many things to look forward to, it’s a great time to be at Cal. GO BEARS!
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