The Morning Swim Show, August 23, 2012: Kara Lynn Joyce Enjoyed Veteran Status at Third Olympics

PHOENIX, Arizona, August 23. ON today's edition of The Morning Swim Show Kara Lynn Joyce talks about her third Olympic experience and the special bond the women's team had throughout their month together.

Joyce isn't completely sure if she will continue her swimming career, but she said all options are being kept open at the moment. She also talks about her role as veteran Olympian to some of the younger swimmers, including Missy Franklin and other first-time Olympians. Be sure to visit SwimmingWorld.TV for more video interviews.

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Morning Swim Show Transcripts
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Jeff Commings: This is the Morning Swim Show for Thursday, August 23rd, 2012. I am your host Jeff Commings. Kara Lynn Joyce just returned from her third Olympic Games where she swam the 50 freestyle for the United States, and she joins us right now in the FINIS Monitor. Hi Kara, good to see you again, how are you?

Kara Lynn Joyce: Hi Jeff, good to see you too. I am doing well.

Jeff: So what's life been like for you since you got back from London?

Kara: Geez, it's been a blur. I think today is Friday, is that right?

Jeff: Yep, we are taping this show on Friday, yes.

Kara: Okay, yeah so it is Friday. I got back Monday night. I stayed all through the second week. I walked in closing and since I have been back it is kind of blur, really jetlagged trying to get everything organized in my house. I haven't been home in about four months so there is a lot to do, a lot of laundry to do.

Jeff: So you are talking to us from Denver is that where you have you are starting to setup for your new home now?

Kara: Well, I definitely live in Denver. I moved to Charlotte just for quick 3 months. I had 3 month lease and moved out of that apartment right after trials and I came in Denver. I was here for like 2 nights about 30 hours and then, but yeah I know I live here with my boyfriend and we have a great place and I am excited to finally be able to enjoy it.

Jeff: Well let's get the big question that everybody is wondering about is what is the next step for Kara Lynn Joyce and I guess especially in terms of your swimming career?

Kara: You know I am a little bit undecided on that. With the way these last 4 years have been, it has kind of been a pretty hectic and crazy. It is hard to say if I am going to commit for another four but I can't say that I won't go and the last three months of swimming have just been absolutely incredible and if I could continue like that for 4 more years I absolutely am going to keep swimming.

Jeff: Yeah, the emotion on your face after you won the 50 at the Olympic Trials is definitely one a lot of people will remember. I am sure you just want to kind of keep that ball rolling.

Kara: Yeah, I mean for making it my third time that was definitely the most emotional for myself and I think my family and you know a lot of people that were close to me and know like how hard it has been for these last few years and it was special. I am glad I can share with a lot of people.

Jeff: So obviously you were quite the veteran on the Olympic team this time around being your third Olympics. What was it like having that status among your teammates?

Kara: It was a little different. I started out my first Olympics, I was one of the youngest. I was 18, obviously 22 in Beijing and being one of the older kids, it is pretty cool especially we had a team full of rookies. There were so many new people that had you know never even made a national team before and here they are on the Olympic team so I love that role of being able to kind of be a big sister or role model and help the younger kids and it was obviously so special to be there with Missy for her first Olympics.

Jeff: Yeah, what was it like rooming with her in London and seeing all of this, I guess all of this potential that we have been talking about actually happen?

Kara: Well Missy and I actually didn't room together in London. We had very different swim schedules, but she was just down the hall from me and I don't know, she just made me so proud. I cried when she first made the team and I think she cried when I made it too. You know the journey that we have been on and you know we talked about it every day and was just really cool to be together and experience that together, and we actually walked Closing together and it was pretty neat.

Jeff: Well you just swam the one event in London, a little bit different from what you have got in your past Olympics where you had some relay duty and won medals as part of that. So how did this Olympic experience compare to that, medals aside?

Kara: It is, you know every Olympic experience is different and people ask me, Oh, which Olympics is the best or you know the most funs and you know each one happens at a different stage in your life. I don't think you can really compare them all, but this experience to me was, it was definitely challenging sitting around for the first 6 days of the meet. You know trying to just support my teammates and being in the stands and cheer as much as I could. One of the cool things about swimming later on the meet is that I got to walk in the opening ceremonies which I have never done before and my family got tickets and everyone was there to support me and then now is the really neat experience, but I think it definitely made racing a little bit more challenging having my first event be on Day 7.

Jeff: Yeah, what is it like to– was it exciting and motivating for you to be, to not have to swim until the 6th or 7th day or was it, were you just chopping it a bit to be able to race?

Kara: It was a little bit difficult. You know obviously I really wanted to race but I am such a swim fan and I love to be part of this Olympic team and you know I wanted to be on my feet in the same as cheering as much as I could throughout the meet, but it is you know challenging so you have to kind of save yourself and save your legs, but yeah, you know what it was just definitely different kind of experience swimming later on.

Jeff: This was the first time of the women's swim team has had a female as a head coach Teri McKeever. Did that dynamic kind of affect the way that the women's team performed and how they interacted with each other?

Kara: I think — I mean Teri was on staff in 2008. She was an assistant and she was head coach of I think the Pan Pac team and now the Olympic team and I love having you know a woman in charge and you know it is so nice I have a woman on staff that these girls can relate to and I can relate to and yeah I think Teri did a phenomenal job and I don't think it is an accident that you know the women swam so well at this Olympics.

Jeff: Tell me about how the women's team kind of bonded especially you know we saw the Call Me Maybe video which was kind of the ultimate team bonding experience, but how was–what was it like to get all these, especially the rookies, to bond with the veterans while you were in Knoxville and in France training?

Kara: Yeah it was definitely a very unique and very special bond that our team had. You know I think the veterans took in the rookies so well and you know I don't know we had great team skits, obviously you saw the Call Me Maybe video. It is weird when you are at the Olympics you are in such a bubble. You know we didn't know how many people saw it or what kind of affect it had on people back home and it is one of the coolest things I think that we are all going to take away from, one of the best souvenirs that we're going to take away from this trip.

Jeff: Yeah, so you said you are still cut up in the air or about what you are going to do with your swimming career will that I guess now that you have this great home in Denver will that mean that you will go back to work more with Todd Schmitz or is that even kind of undecided?

Kara: No, I won't be working with Todd anymore. If I am going to keep swimming in Denver I will find some other team or a way to keep going, but yeah it is all really just undecided.

Jeff: Well you are not alone. A lot of swimmers have kind of said the same thing too, so this is the time to kind of just bask in the Olympic glow and then you know just enjoy which I am sure you are, Kara. Thank you so much for joining us and good to talk to you again.

Kara: You too.

Jeff: All right so that is Kara Lynn Joyce talking to us about our third Olympic experience. I am sure it was a blast as always and that is going to do it for today's Morning Swim Show. We invite you as always to join our conversation on Facebook and Twitter. I am Jeff Commings. Thanks for watching.

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