One would think that 16/100ths of a second cannot make much of an impact in a person’s life. Most folks can’t even fathom just how incredibly brief that measure of time is.
And yet, it meant the world to Megan Romano in a very disappointing way. Three months after setting an American record in the 200-meter freestyle in 2012, the Florida native finished seventh in the Olympic trials by that excruciating flit of a sub-second. Only the top six swimmers went to London that summer, so Megan stayed home to contemplate whether anything else in the world could be accomplished during such a miniscule sliver of time.
It could have been devastating.
Instead, it planted the seeds for Romano to enjoy success and pass on her gift to a new generation.
As part of the Megan Romano Swim Clinic Tour being sponsored by New York-based 4UElite – which stages events worldwide – Romano and her advisor Jack Villacis stopped by Hillsborough High School on Friday, Feb. 9, to talk to the Raiders girls swim team.
Highlighting the event was the presentation of a certificate to senior Alexandra Temple, which allows her to take part in one of Romano’s swim clinics.
“I think it’s honestly a great opportunity to be able to go and learn how to improve my strokes with someone who has competed at an international level, and won world championships,” Temple said. “It’s so exciting.”
So too, was Romano’s presentation, which stressed the importance of not letting setbacks stop a swimmer from chasing their dreams.
The 45-minute session began with a video of the 2013 World Aquatics Championship in Barcelona, when Romano anchored the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay to a gold medal by overcoming a 7/10ths of a second deficit. Her personal best split of 52.60 enabled the team to set a U.S. record of 3:34.24.
After the video, Megan spoke of the gut-wrenching heartbreak she experienced just a year earlier, and how she fought back.
“That was like a dagger in my heart, I did not know what to do,” Romano said. “I had a million emotions. I didn’t know whether to quit, whether to sit in my hotel and throw myself a pity party. I was mentally out of it.
“But at the end of the day, I’m not the type to sulk. I went back to see what I did wrong and tried to figure out how to do it better. I’m a huge believer in goals. I set goals and don’t stop until I get them. I always see the success, I don’t ever see the downfall.”
Thus, the disappointment of ’12 was drowned in the deep end of the pool in ’13, when Romano celebrated the 4×100 relay record as well as a gold medal in the same games in the 4×100 medley relay. Megan’s University of Georgia squad also won the NCAA women’s team championship that year.
“That’s why I want to share my story,” Romano said. “It’s OK to fail. That’s what makes you successful.”
Romano opened it up to questions and provided answers on everything from tips on how to avoid burnout, to what it’s like to swim in college, to the importance of setting goals and visualizing the perfect race just prior to competing.
She also had advice for the Raiders, who are in the midst of competing in the NJSIAA Tournament, about savoring the moment.
“Treasure it, because it goes by so fast,” Romano said. “Have fun and see where it takes you. Work hard, figure out what you want to achieve and go out and achieve those goals.”
She added that getting to that point requires some sacrifice, recalling how she had to miss a family function as a youth due to having to train.
“Ultimately, it’s all on you,” she said. “It’s all on how much you want to accomplish. When you look back on it, if you don’t make it you can only blame yourself.”
Romano’s words, particularly those about how amazing it is to swim in college, resonated with Temple, who will swim for the University of Miami at Ohio next year. Ironically, Alexandra swims the same events as Romano – the backstroke and freestyle.
“I’ve been doing swimming since a very young age; it’s just become such a big part of my life,” Temple said. “I can’t really see where I’d be without it. I’ve learned so many big lessons from swimming for basically my whole life. I’ve been so grateful to have something so great in my life.”
Temple is a Raiders co-captain and coach Todd Sudol noted that she has been a team leader throughout the years. Sudol chose Temple to receive the clinic certificate.
“I just thought it would be a nice experience,” he said. “When you get these opportunities you try to reward the kids with them. Alexandra represents what it means to be a student athlete here and has always represented our team with pride along with all my other girls.”
In fact, he felt Romano’s visit was beneficial for the entire team.
“It allows them to make the connection with someone who’s on the elite level, as far as swimming goes,” Sudol said. “Hopefully, they get inspired and get motivated. It’s just a unique experience to meet someone at that high level of swimming. It’s pretty special.”
Romano, who is currently on a swimming sabbatical, says that other than the un-Florida like weather she is used to, the speaking tour has been fun for her.
“It’s more for motivation than anything,” she said, prior to her presentation “I just kind of tell my story, not to give up. I was swimming for so long I never really had time to go around and do things like this because you can’t miss practice, you’re traveling, all that. Now that I’m kind of taking a break, I like giving back, going around and telling them how I was successful and what they can do to be successful too.”