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U.S. TEAM OLYMPIC TRIALS: SWIMMINGJune 28, 2012Kathleen HerseyOMAHA, NEBRASKA Q. So you made the finals for tomorrow? KATHLEEN HERSEY: Yes, getting in the finals, good middle lane, I guess. Q. (No microphone.) KATHLEEN HERSEY: Yes, actually, last time I was in lane 5 and it went well. It's going to be a fun race. It's a talented group of girls, and the energy is incredible, and I'm so excited to have a morning off. Just get ready for tomorrow. Q. Do you think back to '08 and draw on the experience as you go into another big final? KATHLEEN HERSEY: Yes, but honestly I'm such a different person than I was in '08, that it's almost irrelevant. All my experience has helped, and it helps make this not less but more approachable and more feasible, whereas my mentality is different, and I've had a lot of life experience. I lost my mom, I‑‑ there are so many things that are so different. It helps having experience. Q. What do you feel like‑‑ they say it's all about the time, touching the wall first. KATHLEEN HERSEY: Absolutely. The last 50, it's all about true grit. It's about finding that extra burst of energy and I'm really excited for tomorrow; I think it should be a great race. Anything that can happen. That's why they call it the Trials. Q. (No microphone.) KATHLEEN HERSEY: It was a solid race. I cannot wait to hear Eddie yell at me about my turns, because every time I hit a wall, I think, "I glided in again. Are you kidding?" So definitely room for improvement in the minor areas, and the little tweaks plus the atmosphere will be really good. Q. That was the most relaxed you've looked in a long time. KATHLEEN HERSEY: Thank you. Q. From your earlier races, what did you do mentally to adjust to this race? KATHLEEN HERSEY: Honestly, you have a choice in swimming. It can either be a job and something that's stressful and hard to manage or it can be something you find joy in and something that you love to do, and frankly I choose joy, because it's so much‑‑ it's more fulfilling to do something that you love to do and remember that you love doing it. At a meet like this it's easy to get caught up in the pressure, but its owning those nerves and owning your training and trusting yourself and your training. So honestly, it's going to be a really fun race tomorrow regardless of the outcome. Q. Is it nice to see Teresa Crippen do well? KATHLEEN HERSEY: Oh my gosh, yeah, I almost ‑‑ Teresa has been a good friend for a long time. When my mom passed away in January, I think she was one of the friends that I leaned on the most, more than she knows, because I saw how well she dealt with Fran's passing and it's hard. She understood in a different way. Seeing her have this success right now is really good, and I know that she's ready for the next step, whether that's London or something else, but she is going to be great no matter what she does. She has that personality and that drive. Q. I'm sorry your mom passed away. KATHLEEN HERSEY: Yeah, my mom had colon cancer and then it went to her liver, and by the end‑‑ we took her to the hospital Christmas and she died Jan 4th, so it was relatively quick but we didn't know it was coming. She had been sick for a while, and we tried a lot of treatments. It was a grueling sickness, and she never let it phase her so that's also the perspective that I've been gifted with this past year. Q. Are you swimming with a heavy heart or does that allow you to‑‑ KATHLEEN HERSEY: You know, it's one of those things, do you think about your breakfast when you're eating dinner? Obviously my mom is always in my heart, and she is such a huge part of who I am today, and her biggest gift to me was her faith. I was telling them earlier my total outlook on swimming is so different, so all of my experiences are valuable but they're kind of irrelevant because my mind‑set is entirely different, because I've had so many different experiences and I have a whole new mind‑set for them. Q. Is there any one thing that Teresa told you that sticks with you? KATHLEEN HERSEY: She sent me a plaque that she made, because she is artistic, but she would never tell you. It said, "God has three answers to your prayers: Yes, no, I have something better in mind." That's something that's hanging on my wall next to a picture of my mom and me when I was little. She is very dear to me and close to my heart. Q. So you guys are kindred spirits? KATHLEEN HERSEY: Definitely. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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