Rossi thrilled to swim with best
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Nina Rossi has no illusions of a parade down Nassau St. to welcome her home as an Olympian, but that won’t stop her from enjoying the biggest meet she has ever swum.
The Princeton High School graduate will compete in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., on July 2.
”It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do,” said Rossi, who just completed her sophomore year at the University of Maryland. “In high school, in health class, we were told to make goals. I wrote I wanted to make the Olympic Trials. This is the best of the best.”
She added with a laugh, “So I’ll end up losing against the best.”
Rossi has her work cut out for her as she looks to ascend the rankings. She is No. 95 of the 95 women who have swum a qualifying time in the 200 fly.
”I just made the cut,” said Rossi, whose 2:16.69 at the 2006 YMCA Nationals matched the exact cut-off time. “The only thing I can do is move up.”
Anybody who saw the way she competed for PHS will expect Rossi to do that.
In every big meet for the Little Tigers, Rossi stepped up her performance level, whether in an individual showdown or to anchor a relay. Rossi graduated PHS in 2006 with six state and eight individual Mercer County championships. She has continued to grow at Maryland.
”My sophomore season went really well,” said Rossi, an elementary education major who earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic honors this spring. “I enjoyed it a lot. I did a lot better than my freshman year. Freshman year, I had trouble adjusting. But I found my way back. I dropped time this season. I was excited about that.
”I’m on the 800 freestyle relay, and I dropped two seconds in the 200 freestyle since last season. That’s a big drop for me.”
Rossi will be joined at the Olympic Trials by four other Maryland swimmers, including two other female fliers.
”(Tuesday) morning, we were doing pace work so we were off the blocks,” Rossi said. “It’s great to have the girls next to me swimming. We’re basically pacing off each other. You always want to be the fastest in practice. To have the motivation of the girls next to me, I want to swim fast.”
Rossi has been focusing on her first Olympic Trials ever since the conclusion of the ACC Championships.
”After ACCs, we were supposed to get a week off,” she said. “I ended up not taking a week off because I knew Trials were coming. I’ve been swimming and preparing myself for this meet. I’ve been preparing a base.
”I think I’m going to be in pretty good shape,” she added. “I’ve been training ever since. My training is up and down here and there. Certain weeks are on and certain weeks are off. It’s a normal training cycle. We do pace work in practice all the time to get used to swimming fast.”
Rossi has remained at Maryland to prepare for the Trials. She is training under the direction of her outgoing and incoming coaches. Jarod Schroeder served as interim head coach for last season and last month the Terrapins named Sean Schimmel head coach for next year.
”It’s a hard situation with us,” Rossi said. “We have a whole new staff coming in. We have a new head coach and three new assistants. It’s hard to transition from that and get ready for Trials. It’s a lot put on me and my other teammates as well.
”It’s a mixture between them. My coach right now is leading the practices. The other one is learning what we used to do and seeing what to do for next year or he should disregard it.”
Rossi already went through one big transition when she came from PHS and her club team of Hamilton Aquatics to Maryland.
”It’s a whole different set of training than USA swimming,” Rossi said. “In USA swimming, you have your one or two coaches. Here, you have three or four coaches. I’m lifting now, which I never did. I’m doing dry land. I’ve never done that before. My body is in a totally different stage than in high school.”
A stronger, more experienced Rossi can spend her practice time gearing up for the one race that she will be in at the Trials. Having just one event has helped her focus.
”I don’t have to worry about swimming another event,” she said. “Trials is a long meet and I hear it gets exhausting. In practice, it makes it easier. I’m not swimming four or five events like in ACCs.”
When Rossi isn’t competing, she hopes to try to enjoy the Trials and absorb the atmosphere in the days leading up to her debut.
”I went to nationals a couple times. It’s so great to watch,” Rossi said. “The top athletes go there. It’s amazing to see them swim. I always think, how do you go that fast? I read up on swimming and watch videos online of how people train and what they eat. It blows my mind.”
Swimming in the ACC Championships as well as in several big-name meets on the East Coast has helped raise Rossi’s understanding of what the Trials will be like as well as her ability to cope with the pressure-packed atmosphere. She has already come as far as she expected coming out of PHS.
”I swam for a year and a half before getting into high school,” Rossi recalled. “I didn’t even know if I wanted to swim in high school. Then, when I was getting up in my high school years and then being a senior and co-captain, I really wanted to swim more. College was the next step. I’ve enjoyed my time here and I’ve got two more years left. I’ll see if I can make the best of it.”
For Rossi, this may be her last shot at an Olympic Trials, as she looks into her future. She will graduate from Maryland in two years, but isn’t sure if she’d try to compete for an Olympic spot in 2012.
”I don’t know if I’m planning on swimming after college,” Rossi said. “I’m probably not. It’s a tough thing to keep up with. If I’m starting a job, it’ll be hard to put that time in.
”I’ll just take it as it comes. I’m excited for it. I’m really going for the experience.”
And when it’s all said and done, if there’s a parade, she’ll take that too.