Featured FISH: Erica Shipley
By Mike Kraeuter
As
Henry Ford once said, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you
take your eyes off your goal." This
month's featured FISH overcame many obstacles to earn this spot. Obstacles such as getting to practice on a regular
basis, motivation, etc...By developing a simple goal, of improving, helped her
overcome the obstacles she faced. Even
her fellow "Terrific-mates" recognized this by awarding her the "Hardest
Working FISH" paper plate award. Coming
from your peers, that means a lot!
During this she not only became a better swimmer, but also a great
teammate. How you ask, well let's see
what Erica has to say...
Q: Being your first year on FISH, what have you
enjoyed most about your experience thus far?
Erica: I've enjoyed meeting all the new people and coaches. They all
really made me feel at home.
Q: Do you have any favorite sets that you have
done in practice?
Erica: Even though it was extremely hard and tiring, I loved the success set. It gave me a goal for the next time we did it, and I always did my best to beat it.
Q: What has been one of the biggest obstacles
you have had to overcome this year and how has that made you a better
person/swimmer?
Erica: I had one huge obstacle that kept me from doing my best for the first couple months. I didn't like that I was a lot slower compared to the other swimmers in my group. But between the support I got from the coaches and swimmers, to the tremendous time I dropped for myself, I overcame it.
Q: You come to your regular practices with the Terrific,
as well as come to some extra morning practices, what motivates you to get up
sooo early for those AM practices?
Erica: I'm motivated to get up that early because I know that it makes my times faster, and I liked getting some personal feedback from Mike and the other coaches.
Q: What are your most favorite events?
Erica: My favorite event this season was 200 I.M. I liked it because
its like combining all the events into one, and getting to practice everything.
Erica: Well, of course Kate Ziegler. I don't know her personally, but it's
great to know that I'm on a team that produced an Olympic swimmer. Her
dedication to the team led her on to becoming an Olympian.
Q: Why or what keeps you in the water and
loving it?
Erica: Swimming in general keeps me in the water, especially this season. The instant rush of excitement after taking your marks, the constant support from fellow teammates, and the insane results you receive after the hard work. All of that inter-twined into one creates, to me, the perfect sport.
Leave a comment