Q & A:  Senior Kara Alley

Q:  What events do you swim and what does each event entail?

A:  Over the years, I swam in many different events, but I’ve definitely been best at sprint freestyle and breastroke events. This year I will be swimming the 50m Freestyle and 100m Breastroke, as well as swimming with teammates on the 200m Medley Relay and 200m Freestyle Relay during championship meets.

Q:  How have you worked this season to improve your time? Has anything stood in the way of you reaching you goal?

A: Since it is my senior year, I’ve dedicated a lot more time and focus to swimming. Each day at practice I set a goal for one thing to specifically work on, like my turns or breathing pattern. This helps give practice meaning, rather than just mindlessly swimming. Also, especially as championship season approaches, I’ve began to eat a lot healthier and stayed away from potentially dangerous activities, like skiing, so I won’t risk injury. I’ve never been seriously injured, so the only thing that’s ever stood in the way of reaching my goals is me. If I don’t reach my goal there is no one and nothing to blame but myself.

Q:  Have you won any awards in your high school career? What awards did you win and how?

A:  Although there have been a good amount of races that I have won, there haven’t been many “awards.” Freshman year I won “Best Newcomer,” as well as “Most Valuable Player,” from the coaches. Sophomore year my 200m Medley Relay set a Regional record and I was also the 100m Breastroke District Champion. Junior year I was on two winning relays at the District competition, and, during senior year, things have gone about the same.

Q:  How long have you been swimming?

A:  I have been swimming since I was five – about thirteen years.

Q:  What has kept you motivated to continue with the sport?

A:  My love for the sport, along with my natural competitive drive, has kept me going for this long. I love the fact that it can be both an individual and a team sport because it allows me to improve myself while doing well for the team.

Q:  How do you balance academics and athletics? How much of the year do you swim?

A:  For years I swam for the Tide Swim team, about six days a week for two hours, year round. All I ever did was go to school and swim, but it wasn’t hard to balance during elementary and middle school. Upon entering high school, I became deeply involved with SCA and honor societies, which began to consume a lot of my time. I was presented with the dilemma of choosing between school and swim. Ultimately, I ended up quitting Tide because the three-hour practice requirements, along with morning practices before school, got in the way of my clubs and academics. Fortunately, committing to swim for the Cox Swim Team didn’t present the same dilemma. Although it is still difficult to balance everything, I do my best to plan ahead and keep close contact with my coaches/teachers/sponsors to ensure that they are aware of when I won’t be able to make a practice/meeting. Balancing academics and athletics is the ultimate struggle, but I make it work.

Q:  How do your coaches work with you and other competitors to improve their performances?

A:  I have been so fortunate to work with some of the best coaches in the state over the past thirteen years. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how they work with us to improve our strokes because each coach has a different coaching method, some very modern and some very strange. One of my past coaches used to make us do yoga specifically designed to increase flexibility in swimmers. Coach Gentry and the school’s coaching staff strongly believe in cross-training, the use of calisthenics and weight training, to increase performance in the pool. But despite the differences, all of my swim coaches have strongly stressed the importance of the workout in the water. It is a common misconception that at practice we monotonously swim back and forth for hours, but what is the purpose of that? Our workouts are specifically designed to improve technique, increase cardiovascular abilities, and test ourselves in race-like situations.

Q:  What will your swimming career look like past high school?

A:  Unfortunately, my competitive swimming career is coming to a close; I will not be swimming for a varsity team in college. Depending on where I end up going, I may do club swim team. It’s an incredibly bittersweet ending, but I’m ready to begin a new chapter in my life.

Q:  Do you have any sort of motto, memory, or saying that helps you compete? Do you have any pre-competition rituals that help you perform to the best of your ability?

A:  I’m not very superstitious, so I don’t quite have any “rituals” that help me get ready to race. Instead, I warm up my muscles by stretching or jumping around. I also believe that there is a mental aspect that plays into swimming, so I find that visualizing my race helps prepare me as well. Occasionally, I’ll eat a pack of Sport Beans, which are just specially made jelly beans that refuel electrolytes.