The Morning Swim Show, May 24, 2012: Elizabeth Beisel and Felicia Lee (And Special Guest) Take Part in Peter Busch’s Final Interview

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 24. PETER Busch's final interview on The Morning Swim Show features best friends Elizabeth Beisel and Felicia Lee, who come together on opposite sides of the country to bid Busch a fond farewell.

Among the many topics discussed in the show include Beisel's and Lee's preparations for Olympic Trials, their breakout meets and when they first became friends. A surprise guest pops in for a brief visit as well! Be sure to stick around after the credits for a great pre-show outtake.

Visit SwimmingWorld.TV for more video interviews.

Special Thanks to Finis for sponsoring the Morning Swim Show's interview segments in the Finis Monitor.
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Morning Swim Show Transcripts
Sponsored by Competitor Swim Products
www.competitorswim.com

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

Peter Busch: Welcome to the Morning Swim Show for Thursday, May 24th, 2012. I am your host Peter Busch. It is my final show today before I start my new adventure as a news anchor in Florida, and for my last show I wanted to bring on probably our favorite guest throughout the year It's Elizabeth Beisel and we are adding a twist. One of Elizabeth's best friends in swimming, Stanford's Felicia Lee, is also joining us today. Elizabeth is in Gainesville and Felicia is in Palo Alto. Ladies, thank you both for joining us. How you doing?

Elizabeth Beisel: Doing well, thanks for having us and congratulations.

Felicia Lee: Thank you.

Peter Busch: We should know Allison Schmidt was — we were trying to make her a part of this as well, but she just couldn't make it.

Elizabeth Beisel: She bailed. She is missing out though.

Felicia Lee: She is busy in Colorado.

Peter Busch: She is missing out so I need you two to never let her hear the end of it for me all right.

Felicia Lee: Done.

Elizabeth Beisel: We are on it.

Peter Busch: All right so set the stage here. First of all when is the first time you two met and how have you come so close over the years?

Elizabeth Beisel: I know.

Felicia Lee: All right.

Elizabeth Beisel: I remember Felicia back from when we were like 9-years-old and we could go to zones and this was back when she lived in New Jersey and she would win every single event at zones.

Felicia Lee: Not 200 back, 200 IM. We tied in the 100 backstroke.

Elizabeth Beisel: No, you did win the 100 back because you beat me!

Felicia Lee: I don't even remember that.

Elizabeth Beisel: Oh I remember it.

Elizabeth Beisel: Everyone — we were like these like little 9-year-old little munchkins like running around deck and Felicia would always like — be like smiling and like the most bubbly one on deck and like she would win every event and we were all like, “Oh my God, Felicia Lee is here.” It was such a big deal.

Felicia Lee: I honestly don't remember that. I think it was you winning the 100 backstroke. I remember we tied at the 50 wall. You dominated me in the last 50.

Elizabeth Beisel: I remember it differently so I mean it is — I think you won.

Felicia Lee: All right I will take that.

Elizabeth Beisel: Probably the first time we were like, I don't even know the first time we officially met.

Felicia Lee: I think it was a little meet in New Jersey. It was actually me you and Sarah Giberson, who is my teammate right now.

Elizabeth Beisel: Was it —

Felicia Lee: At Rutgers.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yes.

Felicia Lee: And I was so like, I was so worried because I dominated Jersey and I was like, who were these people coming in here.

Elizabeth Beisel: Get all these people out of here. This is my time.

Felicia Lee: My little 8-year-old self.

Elizabeth Beisel: But yeah, we go back like years, like almost a decade now.

Felicia Lee: Yeah, how old am I now? Geez I just turned 20. So yeah it has been like a decade.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah, we are pretty old.

Felicia Lee: Don't say that.

Peter Busch: Was there ever any conversation of going to the same college because you couldn't have ended up further apart?

Felicia Lee: We actually took a Cal trip together. So that was a fun weekend.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah. It was definitely a fun weekend. It was like our first time outside of like a meet together and a lot of stuff happened, a lot of good things.

Felicia Lee: It was a lot of fun. Yeah it was a lot of fun, but I mean even though we are really far apart it is okay we are still really close friends.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah and we have that, we have a tri-meet with Michigan every year.

Felicia Lee: Yeah.

Elizabeth Beisel: So I at least get to see her. Like, next year it is Gainesville so–

Felicia Lee: Come all the way out there.

Elizabeth Beisel: To come into my house.

Felicia Lee: It is true.

Peter Busch: Well I will be living in Florida. I might have to make it out for that one.

Elizabeth Beisel: That would be great. Maybe Schmitty will join us if she is not too good for us.

Felicia Lee: Schmitty is too busy, she is always too busy, yeah,

Elizabeth Beisel: I am in Colorado Springs training for the Olympics.

Felicia Lee: Yes.

Peter Busch: Speaking of the whole training thing. Both of you are obviously going to be at Trials and Elizabeth you are certainly a favorite to make the team and a couple of events, so how is training going for you Elizabeth?

Elizabeth Beisel: It is good, but right now we are sort of just like ending the last hard part of training and transitioning into taper which is so nice. It is so close. I can like, I could feel like it is coming like.

Felicia Lee: Little magic in your fingers.

Elizabeth Beisel: I know. I know, but yeah everything is good so no complaints down here.

Peter Busch: A Gregg Troy taper, is that like normal training for everyone else?

Elizabeth Beisel: Probably, I did it once last year and it actually was really good. You know he brings it down sort of pretty willingly for us just because we train so hard during the whole entire year, so taper around here is like when we are in such good moods and we all get tanned because it is nice out. I will be nice and tan and blonde for Trials.

Felicia Lee: You have a one-piece tan right now?

Elizabeth Beisel: I don't have one piece tans. Be jealous.

Felicia Lee: I am kind of jealous.

Peter Busch: How about you Felicia how is training?

Felicia Lee: Doing really well, we are still doing some hard training. We'll probably come down a little bit for Santa Clara in 2 weeks but still in the game. I can't wait for Christmas taper, kind of like Christmas time for swimmers.

Elizabeth Beisel: It is Christmas.

Peter Busch: What are you going to swim at Trials?

Felicia Lee: 100 fly, 100 back, 200 back, 200 IM, 100 free.

Peter Busch: Oh that is it?

Felicia Lee: I might add about 5 more events. We'll see how it goes.

Elizabeth Beisel: Why not?

Peter Busch: Which race are you most excited about that gives you the best chance you think to make the team Felicia?

Felicia Lee: Probably the 100 fly and 100 free. I am actually really excited about the 100 freestyle so we will see how that one goes.

Peter Busch: Six people make it in that one that's– it could be fun.

Felicia Lee: True.

Peter Busch: Hey Elizabeth are you going to swim the 200 free and try to make the relay?

Elizabeth Beisel: We are still deciding because it is on the same day as the 200 IM so I don't really know what I am going to do yet. I still sort of have to meet with Coach Troy and talk about that. We have just been bad about meeting about it so I mean we will see.

Peter Busch: So 200 IM, 400 IM, 200 back for sure?

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah, for sure. Those three for sure. The other ones are just like here and there maybe, maybe not.

Peter Busch: Well I know you are the kind of person who goes to meet and likes to swim 8 things, but you know maybe for this just one it is probably best to have quality over quantity, right?

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah, for sure and that is what we did 4 years ago. I scratched all the events that I didn't really need to swim and I just focused on like the 400 IM and the 200 back and that is sort of nice just to know that I only have a few events to focus on rather than having a full plate.

Peter Busch: Well 4 years ago you know you were kind of the person that made the team out of nowhere. I mean I still remember that seen of you running up on the pool deck and grabbing your friends. Felicia I don't know if you were in that mix.

Felicia Lee: I think it was the Bluefish team. I was right near there I think.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah.

Peter Busch: But you know I mean I still, I still remember that moment from 4 years ago.

Elizabeth Beisel: You want to come say hi? We have a little guest.

Peter Busch: Who do we got? Whoa!

Ryan Lochte: Hey.

Peter Busch: A special from Ryan Lochte on my final show. I feel so honored.

Ryan Lochte: Peace.

Peter Busch: Ryan real quick tell us what you are swimming at Trials Ryan? We couldn't get it out of him on our last show.

Elizabeth Beisel: No.

Peter Busch: But anyway back to that. It was 4 years ago. I mean it was the moment, you were this bubbly teenager who people didn't really expect to make the Olympic team and oh that is the great thing about trials, you never know what is going to happen.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah.

Peter Busch: You must still look back on that and smile.

Elizabeth Beisel: I smile too. It was a good time.

Felicia Lee: Her reaction was priceless. It was beautiful.

Elizabeth Beisel: The reaction that I remember is Katie's reaction after 400 IM because she was like “Whoa!”

Felicia Lee: Yes, yes.

Elizabeth Beisel: And I was like “Katie, you broke the world record!” and she is like [makes face].

Felicia Lee: You made the team.

Elizabeth Beisel: I was like “Yup you did.” The trials will be exciting. Felicia, I heard there is a zipline at trials, is this true?

Felicia Lee: I have no idea, but didn't you hear like that girl who got like a flesh eating bacteria from a zipline. I am not really sure–

Elizabeth Beisel: What?

Felicia Lee: She is like from Georgia.

Elizabeth Beisel: We'll ask Schmitty. Maybe she knows about some girl in Georgia.

Felicia Lee: I tell you she probably does not know.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah, she probably doesn't, but they said –I swear that I heard that if you make the team or like pay probably an obscene amount of money, you get to zip line.

Felicia Lee: No way.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah.

Felicia Lee: Done. That is my motivation.

Elizabeth Beisel: Everybody who listens to this interview is going to get so excited for the zipline and there is not going to be one.

Felicia Lee: I know.

Peter Busch: We are going to have to conference in Frank Busch? Hey dad, is there a zipline or not?

Elizabeth Beisel: Excuse me Frank.

Peter Busch: I will see what I can find out about that Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Beisel: All right.

Peter Busch: Felicia, how about you, what was your breakout meet that you look back on and say look that is when my life changed?

Felicia Lee: When my life changed?

Peter Busch: Well my swimming life?

Felicia Lee: Okay, I was thinking, I think — I mean one of my favorite meets ever was back when I was 13 and I just moved to Baltimore and it was Spring Chance like 2006 or something and I was like nobody but actually I won the 100 fly and it was like I couldn't even believe it and I think the best part of that meet actually was just meeting everybody. I just like I had no idea who anyone was I met like Sam Woodward at that meet. Kathleen Hersey. I talked to Beisel — I talked to Beisel's mom that was my favorite part.

Elizabeth Beisel: Joanie?

Felicia Lee: Yeah, she gave me my award.

Elizabeth Beisel: Oh yeah, God. She gave me my award too I think.

Felicia Lee: Yeah 100 backstroke.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah because you probably won!

Peter Busch: Ladies, I have an idea before we go. Since Allison Schmidt couldn't make this interview and since she is missing out, I want you to each do your best impression of Allison.

Elizabeth Beisel: Oh man. Hey what was that joke she told?

Felicia Lee: I got it. If you go into the bathroom American and you come out American what are you in the bathroom? European!

Elizabeth Beisel: She did that after an interview at like Pan Pacs or like nationals or something.

Felicia Lee: It was like world championship trials and she was exhausted and then they just threw it out: Hey, I heard you got some good jokes, tell me one, that is the one she came up with.

Elizabeth Beisel: Of course. My favorite is when Schmitty– we were just talking about this earlier when like she doesn't hear what you say or like doesn't really like understand and she won't like – she will just stare at you with this blank face and it is a typical Schmitty face and she will just be like … but then she will start laughing like she will be like Schmitty, what time do the finals start or something and she will be like [makes face].

Felicia Lee: Oh. The awkwardness.

Elizabeth Beisel: Yeah, Schmitty is the best. I am pretty upset that she wasn't here, but she is doing her thing out in Colorado and we know she is kicking butt.

Peter Busch: Ladies, thank you for making my final show here a memorable one. I really appreciate it.

Felicia Lee: Thank you for having us again.

Elizabeth Beisel: Thank you so much Peter.

Peter Busch: Felicia, thank you very much for joining u,s and Elizabeth it has been a pleasure over the years talking with you many times on the show. I wish you both the best of luck.

Elizabeth Beisel: Thank you so much.

Felicia Lee: Thank you.

Peter Busch: All right. Wow, that was a lot of fun. That was Elizabeth Beisel and Felicia Lee joining us in the FINIS Monitor today for my final show here in the Morning Swim Show. I appreciate everyone watching throughout the years. I am Peter Bush reminding you one last time to keep your head down at the finish.

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