The Morning Swim Show, March 20, 2012: Carlos Almeida Anxious to Race at NCAAs

PHOENIX, Arizona, March 20. CARLOS Almeida is one to watch in the breaststroke events at the Division I men's NCAA championships, and on today's edition of The Morning Swim Show he talks about preparing for the meet.

Almeida also talks about the goals for the University of Louisville in terms of team placing, and which names to watch for in the meet. He also talks about why he did not rest for the Big East championships and which swimmers will be his main competition this week. Be sure to visit SwimmingWorld.TV for more video interviews.

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Morning Swim Show Transcripts
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(Note: This is an automated service where some typos and grammatical errors may occur.)

Peter Busch: Welcome to the Morning Swim Show for Tuesday March 20th, 2012. I am your host Peter Busch. In the FINIS Monitor today, we will talk to Carlos Almeida. The senior at the University of Louisville will contend for titles in 100 and 200 breaststrokes at this week's NCAA division I championships and Carlos joins us right now in the FINIS Monitor from Louisville. Carlos welcome to the Morning Swim Show, how are you?

Carlos Almeida: I'm fine. Doing good right now.

Peter Busch: All right, tapered, excited for the meet?

Carlos Almeida: Always. This week it is just exciting.

Peter Busch: Well you guys should be excited. You got 13 guys going to the meet. This year that is unprecedented for Louisville swimming.

Carlos Almeida: I know it is almost double at what we did last year so that is it is a pretty large group right now.

Peter Busch: Well I know it is a lot more fun going to that meet with a lot of teammates tell me what the team expectations are.

Carlos Almeida: I don't know we set a goal at the beginning of the season, the goal is top10 and we practiced and during practice we always had like let's go we can do top 10, but now since we have 13 guys going I think we can definitely be top 10 and who knows we can go farther. I don't know. It is looking really good for us we just need to go there and put up some good races.

Peter Busch: Well coaches had some great success recruiting internationally with swimmers like you and Joao DeLuca who we had on the show. Would you say the majority of those 13 guys are from overseas or a lot of them American guys?

Carlos Almeida: We have us two and then we have Pedro Oliveira and Carrell Blondell Carrell, he is from some island I don't remember now and he is pretty good though. He is going to be up there and I think that is the foreigners.

Peter Busch: Well that is great. That is a great mix, great school. It is fun to see you guys becoming a good swimming program.

Carlos Almeida: I know it is even funnier for us believe it, because we got here my freshman year. I always do a — because I got here in my freshman year and my practice, my practice-wise wasn't that great and I did good digging –but then I went to NCAA's and I got two last places and I was just happy to be there and but then sophomore year went a little bit better and now lastyear was good and we put up some good races as a team too so I am just excited for this last year just to finish it up.

Peter Busch: Well last year was real good. I mean you went 52-flat, got second in the 100 breaststroke. Now this year your seed going into this meet is a 53.1. I am curious are you just saving up for the big meet or is something going on this year?

Carlos Almeida: Yeah me and Arthur, we decided that it is not like we didn't want to rest for Big East, not saying that, not diminishing Big East, but it is not a hard meet at all. It is not like an ACC or SEC so we didn't have to rest me at all. I didn't have and I still put up some good races so I went the 51.7 on a relay and that really put me happy and I don't know I just want race now. Just want to shave, want to taper — and just want to be behind the blocks.

Peter Busch: Do you think you can beat your time from last year and maybe 51 flat start?

Carlos Almeida: Definitely that is my goal. I don't want to go there and do my time. I want to go there and beat my times.

Peter Busch: Yeah, you are probably going to have to, to win this year another fast year. Kevin Cordes from Arizona 51.7 already it is going to be a deep field of breaststrokers. I think.

Carlos Almeida: Yeah we have Kevin we have Nolan Koon. He has been 51.6 last year. We have some good guys and I am watching out for them so I know I just want to go there and have fun that is what I like. I just go there and have fun with my races. If I do my best if I get my all and it is not enough well it is my all so I will be happy with that.

Peter Busch: Oh, I notice that you made Portuguese Olympic team this past winter. You qualified in the 100 breaststroke?

Carlos Almeida: Yeah.

Peter Busch: That must be exciting.

Carlos Almeida: Yeah, it is. I mean Olympics now works just like NCAA's so if you have the A cut, you go. If you have the B cut, it has to be a good B cut. I made the B cut so it is not 100% sure that I am going, but yeah, but I am excited and that is the next step in my career, it is just start practicing for Olympics.

Peter Busch: Tell me how big of a deal or if it is not that swimming is in your home country in Portugal?

Carlos Almeida: It is getting bigger. It is not big of a deal at all though like we have one really good swimmer. He put some finals in Europeans. He is a 1:59 200 IM long course. He is our main star and then we have me, Pedro Oliveira. He is good at long course too, but it is not big of a deal at all like we have one newspaper that followed us from now and then we have one, two pages talking about us but that is about it we don't get that media cover like you guys do here.

Peter Busch: Well Carlos good luck in Federal Way Washington. We will be up there. It is going to be fun to watch you and the other guys from Louisville.

Carlos Almeida: Okay, thank you so much for having me.

Peter Busch: All right that is Carlos Almeida joining us from the University of Louisville and just another reminder we will be up there in Federal Way providing our Race Day recaps after every prelim and final session. It is going to be a fun week. I am Peter Busch. Thanks for watching.

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