YOTA’s Joe Bonk Looking Towards His Collegiate Future

Feature by Megen Donovan

RALEIGH, North Carolina, October 4. THE YMCA of the Triangle Area Swim Team's work hard, play hard atmosphere helped produce one of the top swimming recruits for the class of 2012.

Head coach Chad Onken said music is always blaring during workouts. The swimmers can be found singing and dancing around in the pool in between sets. However, having a good time while at practice should not be confused for taking it easy.

"We like to have fun with what we do," Onken said. "And that's not to say we don't work hard, or extremely hard. We have some of the hardest workers in the country, but we also have fun while we do it."

One of those hard workers, senior Joe Bonk, climbed the ranks among recruits of an elite caliber across the country.

Bonk sees himself as a regular teenager who likes to hang out with his friends and play video games. He has a special interest in many water sports aside from swimming, including tubing, water skiing, and wake boarding.

"Besides that, I'm pretty normal when it comes to being a teenager," Bonk said.

His Junior and Senior National qualifying times attest to his talent and hard work in the pool. The North Carolina sprinter is more than just your average Joe. And colleges have noticed.

Bonk narrowed his search down to four schools: Ohio State University, Auburn University, Virginia Tech University and University of California, Berkley. He said he likes each school for different reasons, however he feels it is time to become picky as he works to make his decision.

Bonk weighs in on a number of different factors. He is looking for a swimming program where he can get the strength and power training needed for his 50 and 100 freestyle events while further developing his 200 freestyle as a possible third event.

"Most of the coaches I talked to including my own, Chad, [said] I need to focus mostly on sprint-oriented training and power based stuff," Bonk said. "I will pretty much be training mostly sprint."

He is undaunted by how far he may have to travel from home. He said it would be an adjustment, but one he is willing to make for the right school.

"I sort of feel like it wouldn't be as easy, but I think I could manage it," Bonk said. "I would be homesick but not enough that it would make me not want to go there. It would be worth it to go out there."

He plans to pursue a kinesiology or sports science degree in the hopes of becoming a swim coach after college. Bonk said he is open to starting at the club swimming level, but eventually wants to coach at the collegiate level.

"I sort of have fallen in love with the sport…" Bonk said. "Once I stop swimming, I don't really want to leave the sport. I'm looking in to the sports science field [to learn] how the body works as it pertains to swimming."

His love of the sport manifests itself when it comes time for big meets such as Pan Pacs, the Olympics, and World Champs, according to his coach of six years, Onken.

"A meet goes on like that, he knows everything that's going on," Onken said. "He just gets excited about that."

Bonk does not merely follow larger scale meets. He is one of the many talented athletes swimming at meets such as YMCA, Junior and Senior Nationals. Onken feels the athlete has grown from being a kid getting his feet wet to a young man with untapped potential.

"He knows he belongs swimming at these meets," Onken said. "I think he realized he belongs winning events or scoring points or placing high at these meets. He can go to these big boy meets and not just participate but compete."

Bonk made his debut Senior Nationals appearance in August 2011. Although he felt nervous in the beginning of the meet, he eventually became more comfortable. He sees this experience as one that will prepare him to compete at the college level.

"At the beginning, I was a little bit nervous, but as the meet progressed I got more and more relaxed and it showed in my swimming," Bonk said. "So that experience, it really does help."

Before he steps onto the deck at these meets, Bonk and Onken have many goal-oriented discussions throughout the season. They work together to construct a training plan. They pick Bonk's meet schedule, outlining which ones will be his main focus.

"We have very open and honest discussions about what I think he's capable of doing and what he thinks he's capable of doing and together we come up with thoughts and ideas," Onken said. "I found when your athlete has a little bit of a say in how their season is going, they'll buy into it and take a lot more ownership in it…"

Bonk said he attributes his success to his coach's knowledge of the sport. He feels Onken does a good job giving his swimmers the opportunities and the training to move forward in their swimming careers.

"[Chad] used to coach at NC State and Auburn, so he's got a pretty good idea of what club swimmers should be doing in preparation for college swimming," Bonk said.

Throughout that time they have worked together, Bonk and Onken developed a strong relationship. Bonk also sees his teammates as extended family. This bond between the swimmer, his teammates and his coach is something he is looking for in a college program.

"Going on all these trips, I feel like a lot of these teams are like families, and I really like that," Bonk said. "And I feel like my club team is a lot like a family, and I think that is really preparing me for the next level."

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use