The Morning Swim Show, Feb. 3, 2012: Swimming Legend Janet Evans Joins Show to Talk About Olympic Trials Cuts

PHOENIX, Arizona, February 3. FOUR-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans, 40, joins The Morning Swim Show to talk about making the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials during the Austin Grand Prix.

Evans is one of many swimmers making a comeback, shooting for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic roster. She also talks about how distance freestyle has taken a dip around the world with the focus on sprint events. Be sure to visit SwimmingWorld.TV for more video interviews.

Morning Swim Show Transcripts
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Peter Busch: This is the Morning Swim Show for Friday, February 3rd, 2012. I'm your host Peter Busch in the FINIS Monitor today. We will talk to Janet Evans. She is swimming faster at 40 than most swimmers ever do in the peak of their careers. Janet joins us right now in the FINIS Monitor from New York City. Hey, Janet welcome back to the Morning Swim Show how are you?

Janet Evans: Hey Peter, I'm great. How are you?

Peter Busch: Doing well. Thank you. What are you doing in New York today?

Janet Evans: Well I am in New York to celebrate heart month, National Heart Month and to get women and all Americans to take care of themselves to take care of their hearts. I'm partnering with Metamucil to encourage and inspire them to be healthy and it is a great platform it is exciting and it is fun to be back in the pool I can hopefully inspire people in many different ways.

Peter Busch: Let me ask you did it feel weird making Olympic trial cuts and being excited about it again?

Janet Evans: Yeah, you know it was really interesting being in Austin a few weeks ago and being back in the swim meet and actually swimming instead of swimming on the pool deck and watching everyone. So yeah it was fun. It was really fun a lot more fun than it was at the end of my career to be honest.

Peter Busch: Because I got to imagine you probably first made your Olympic trial cut when you were what 14, 15-years-old?

Janet Evans: I think something like that. Yeah so it has been a really long time. You know and I joke that the girls are swimming against or closer in age to my daughter than me which is true.

Peter Busch: Alright, what is the reality of this come back to where that you are on? If you had a bet would you bet on yourself making that Olympic team?

Janet Evans: Well that is a very good question. There is things I need to work on I know I need to get a little more base. You know I think my fitness level and my endurance needs a little work. My speed feels pretty good so we will see I mean stranger things that happen and I feel good in the water and training gets better every week and I think that is the thing that really has surprised me in this project as Mark Schubert likes to call it because you know my body has cooperated with my mind and allowed me to do this and I swim faster and better in practice every week and actually surprise myself so you know we will see what 6 months brings around but I guess you never know.

Peter Busch: What event would you say the best chance?

Janet Evans: Well I think the 800 would be a better shot off you know the 400 is a pretty packed field or something a little faster I think relatively than they are in the 800 so I would say it would be 800.

Peter Busch: Speaking of that have you been surprised or disappointed at the lack of just a superstar distance queen in U.S. swimming for the past decade or so?

Janet Evans: Well you know. I mean I think just this swimming around the globe has suffered I think that young swimmers are more focused on the sprints for obvious reasons to go to college you know a little less time in the pool more time on dry land in the weight room kind of thing so you know I wish you would get there. I wish the drops in times were you know relatively as much as they are in the screen events, but then again you know I probably wouldn't be doing this if they were swimming 8:12's.

Peter Busch: Has there been a— well, good point only you can swim 8:12 Janet without a High Tech suit I should say.

Janet Evans: Yeah, yeah well thank you.

Peter Busch: What has been the Hollywood I want to quit and give up, I'm frustrated by this come back moment?

Janet Evans: I think at 4:30 in the morning maybe when one of my kids has been up all night or my little girl gets scared of the dark so you come in like every hour on hour until you are shit scared of the dark and I got to get out you know that kind of thing I think it is at 4:30 and my husband always teases me because he says when the alarm clock goes off I go, "Oh, my gosh" you know she is like "You are always waking me up" because are like— you are going "oh geez" you know I think it is getting out of bed is the hardest part but after that I'm totally fine. I'm totally good and I strangely have energy through my day and get you know I get to be with my kids all day which energizes me and then I get to go for afternoon practice and come home and be with family and have dinner and so it has been actually strangely energizing I mean I am physically tired and sore and I work hard but it has been, there haven't been as many of those Hollywood and I need to quit moments as you would think just at 4:30 every Friday.

Peter Busch: Are you doing doubles every day like you used to?

Janet Evans: I am doing doubles nearly every day. I am averaging about 9 to 10 work outs a week. I am still traveling for brands like Metamucil and trying to inspire and make a difference but also getting my time in the pool. I swam this morning at Asphalt Green here in the city.

Peter Busch: Holy cow, oh that is a great facility there in New York City.

Janet Evans: Great, so it is so wonderful because I think work brings a lot of us athletes here in New York blah, blah, blah the swimmers and to have Asphalt Green and access to 50 meter pool is just incredible.

Peter Busch: Will you tapered all shade before trials or is everything building up to that point?

Janet Evans: I think everything is going up to that point. I don't think I have the time to taper and shave. I think I just need to get my training in which has been our rule the whole time so make little strides along the way and get faster every meet and see where that lands me so definitely note I mean I would love to taper trust me. I have been training straight and hard for 18 months. I only remember you know taper but I don't think I have the time to go through a taper right now on my training.

Peter Busch: Has the classic windmill stroke changed at all?

Janet Evans: It is funny someone else asked me that today. My stroke has not changed. I don't think from what I can tell and you know for me my stroke is really driven by tempo and turnover and I think I weigh a little less than I did at the end of my career in the 90's and I have been able to adapt my stroke to that and my turnover is a little faster than it was at the end of my career which has been great because I really need to get my tempo going.

Peter Busch: A lot of the male sprinters have stolen your stroke recently it seems like.

Janet Evans: Yeah and I love that you know when I was swimming with that stroke everyone laughed at me and teased me but it still works so it is very validating to have other athletes be using— other swimmers be using my stroke. My stroke— it is not my stroke but using that stroke.

Peter Busch: I think you can call it your stroke that is fair?

Janet Evans: Should I patent it?

Peter Busch: I think you should have put a trademark on that back in 87?

Janet Evans: Seriously, yeah when someone uses it I get like some kind of royalty or something right.

Peter Busch: Yeah you would be a multimillionaire today.

Janet Evans: Yeah. No it is not that use it Peter but you will never know.

Peter Busch: Different perspective now doing what you are doing on what Dara Torres did 4 years ago?

Janet Evans: Well I think what Dara did was amazing and very inspiring and you know I think that is the great part of being an athlete is you get to inspire others so you know obviously Dara and I swim very different events and her training is very different. So it is not like I can the call her and be like how do you do this you know because she told me like sprint and I wanted to swim distance so yeah absolutely at the perks of it very inspiring and just awesome.

Peter Busch: On the flip side you were a team success. I mean you were, that is when you did your best swimming essentially with when 87 to 92 do you look back on it and say you know maybe I should have gone pro and really cashed in or maybe the opportunity is just weren't there like they are now?

Janet Evans: Well you know I think in that realm the sport has changed a lot and there were opportunities for me after 88 but you know I just wanted to go to college and have a college experience and swim and you know my thing was swimming it was just something I love to do and I always need a sense of normal and you know looking back on it there is nothing I would have change including that part of it because I love swimming in college you know some of my best friends are people I swim. I am with in college and you know I am not sure I would have continued on as long I think there are different pressures that come with sponsorships and things of that nature so you know college swimming was fun for me. It is something I enjoyed and I don't really regret making that decision. Would I make the same decision again? Probably. Do I think Missy Franklin is making a good decision you know I can't speak of her but I admire what she is doing because she is going to keep things the same and focus on what she needs to focus on and I think you know you have to give her kudos for doing that.

Peter Busch: I was going to say— you saw where I was going with that question. I mean Missy is facing a very difficult decision that most 16, 17-year-old's never are put in to and there are probably millions of dollars in the table if we are projecting her success this year and beyond so that is a tough call to make especially once you are 40 and you see how difficult it can be that really make money in the real world.

Janet Evans: Yeah, I mean I think so but right now that is not her focus I mean she is focused on swimming and from experience when you are 17 you can't really think that way like she just wants to swim. She just loves to swim. She wants to swim you know she seems very happy and very positive and you know I think that whatever makes her swim well and fast and be happy I think to put expectations and pressure on her when she is 40 and she needs to make money I mean you know she is just 17 so she can make them and I also feel like college swimming. You know I personally I'm going to come out and say that I think that everyone giving up their eligibility it is you know college swimming is an amazing thing and I think two opt-ins swimmers give up their eligibility and miss out on the college experience. That is just my personal opinion.

Peter Busch: I think it is a very good perspective that you can speak from. Let me ask you that, so when trials are over you will be able to say that you are very happy with how this went if what happens?

Janet Evans: You know look I, whatever happens this started out for me to get in shape, to be a project, have fun. It certainly can't take away what I have done. Curt certainly can't change you know for lack of a better thing it doesn't sound super humble but take away the legacy you know and so this is just kind of icing for me and I have a lot of wisdom I am coming from a different angle so it has been fun and I can't say the end of my swimming crew was always fun so I have a new found respect for my body and for my help and for taking care of myself and being fit at 40 and it has just been such a positive experience I could never swim another stroke. I could quit today and I am so thrilled with how this progress has gone and I just feel very, it has been very empowering as a woman as a mom as someone who is in their 40's. It is very empowering to be able to do something like this and help you out for you to do it, it has been amazing.

Peter Busch: The sport is more exciting with you in it Janet.

Janet Evans: Thank you Peter. Well pretty soon I will be back on the side watching with you while everyone else swims, but not for the next 6 months at least, you got me for that.

Peter Busch: Janet it is going to be a lot of fun in 2012. Thank you very much for joining us from New York, have a great trip.

Janet Evans: Thank you.

Peter Busch: Alright that is Janet Evans joining us today in the FINIS Monitor and that is it for today's show I'm Peter Busch reminding you to keep your head down at the finish.

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