Every race is unique.
Different swimmers, different times, different distances and different strokes in different pools, but there is one constant. Before they hit the water, before they step on the blocks and before some even get to the pool deck, all of the Gators go through the same steps to get ready.
Pre-race routines are religious for some swimmers, and they can start as soon as they wake up on the day of a meet.
Some are less serious. Florida sophomore Ryan Rosenbaum needs two things: coffee and a good pair of socks.
Race day starts with a morning swim, usually three hours before the meet, he said, followed by a coffee with cream and sugar that he and a small group of swimmers have before every meet.
“There’s a nice little group of coffee-addicted people on the team,” Rosenbaum said. “The whole crew will just go to Dunkin’ right before the meet.”
But the Fort Lauderdale native makes it as much of a point to have on a nice pair of socks as he gets his coffee fix on race day, and not just any socks will do.
His most notable pair is blue with the red and yellow Superman “S” emblem on the front and a red cape in the back.
You read that right. Socks with capes.
Then it’s the hype music, a staple in the diet of pre-race pump-ups for athletes across nearly every sport. Some like to keep it serene and calm their minds, but Rosenbaum prefers something a bit more aggressive when he’s gearing up in the locker room.
“Just really, really mean rap,” he said.
This year his go-to jam is “Shabba” by A$AP Ferg. It’s gritty, tough and gets him ready to go. It’s even penetrated the minds of the swimmers around him in practice.
“During normal sets, you’ll just be thinking of the Shabba,” he said.
He is not the only one who likes to have fun before the meets.
Senior Elizabeth Beisel routinely jokes around with her teammates to keep her mind off of the race at hand. She said she listens to her iPod depending on her mood to amp herself up, ranging from electric dance music to rap if she’s feeling hardcore.
But her ultimate preparation is her confidence.
It’s like a switch flips and the energetic jokester who bounces around the pool deck — spreading her boisterous laughter — becomes the two-time USA Olympian and All-American who was the face of the Gators women’s swimming and diving team during her tenure at Florida, which ended last month at the NCAA Championships.
Her intensity is palpable as she glares at her opponents in neighboring lanes, shaking out her arms and legs, loosening her muscles, completely confident.
“Everybody likes knowing that they’re going to win going into a race, but that’s never a given,” Beisel said. “But the more you can convince yourself that you’re going to win, the higher chance that you’re going to have to win. That’s when I do my best. When I’m really nervous and I don’t feel confident that’s when it’s not good.”
It’s a similar process for junior Dan Wallace.
His preparation starts days before a meet in order to keep his mind off of swimming and on staying relaxed — almost as if the looming competition wasn’t coming at all. He likes to be with friends and go about his daily life, attending class and practice while enjoying the weather when the sun is out.
“Just go day by day and just act like it’s no big deal,” Wallace said.
And that even keel carries over to the meet as well.
Breakfast and warm-ups are the common routine. There isn’t anything specific, just fuel for the day. He laughs with his teammates to keep himself from focusing too much on his upcoming events, but when he’s staring down the lane, he knows the time for relaxation is over.
“I get behind the blocks and I know it’s go time,” Wallace said.
School is a good distraction for senior Marcin Cieslak, who also likes to keep himself distant from a meet in the days leading up to it. In his native country of Poland, there is no collegiate athletic track for swimmers to take, so the distractions that he values are less present.
“I like being relaxed the days out because then you can put more focus and you have more energy,” Cieslak said. “It doesn’t wear off.”
His attitude doesn’t change for bigger meets. The consistency is part of what allows him to continually perform at a high level — like winning NCAA titles in the 200 IM and 100 fly, which he did at the national championships in March.
The morning of a meet, the 2012 Polish Olympian uses a cold shower to wake himself up and start harnessing that energy he reserves for days. Stepping on the deck is a whole other sensation.
“The second I show up to the pool I can smell the racing,” he said. “My heart starts to beat faster.”
And the signature “fist of power” cheer of the Florida swimming and diving team is his final pump-up.
Now, he’s ready to race.
As all four swimmers step up, eagerly waiting to hear “swimmers, take your mark,” there is one thing they all share in common.
The thoughts racing through their heads when they are perched on the starting blocks, ready to explode into the water — absolutely nothing. Their minds go blank.
The time for thinking is over.
All the practice, the preparation, the psych-up music, the cheers and even the socks culminate in the moment just before the horn sounds and the body takes over as they plunge into the water.
Their routines are different, but the goal is always the same: Swim fast.
Follow Logan McGuire on Twitter @loganjmcguire
Senior Elizabeth Beisel competes in the 200-yard butterfly during Florida’s match against Auburn on Jan. 25 in the O’Connell Center. Beisel listened to EDM and rap before races this season to get pumped up.
