SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Spotlight: David Walters

By Sarah Galbavy

WEST ISLIP, New York, October 1. SPRINTS are often a game of chance and timing, and the 100 free at the last ConocoPhillips National Championships in Indianapolis was no different. With a heavy-hitting lineup of Nick Brunelli, Ryk Neethling, Roland Schoeman, Peter Vanderkaay, Neil Walker, Garrett Weber-Gale and Ben Wildman-Tobriner in the field, there were quite a few contenders for first place. It was obvious that it would be a tight race for the win. But, the man who clinched it had the majority of the crowd asking, "Who?"

As first reported here, David Walters swam an impressive 100 meters in a personal-best 48.96 to become National Champion after turning in eighth at the 50-meter mark. The win immediately put him on the radar of those in the swimming community.

Born and raised in Virginia, the 20 year old has been swimming for most of his life. His father is an avid surfer, and would bring him down to the beach when he was a child. A fan of surfing, it frustrated Walters when he was forced to sit on the shore while his father would surf the larger, more dangerous waves. He soon learned to swim in order to join in on the action.

Walters is not the only one in his family who has talent in the water. His sister, Gailey, 21, is captain of the women's swim team in her senior year at James Madison University. The two of them were competitive growing up and Walters was often bested by his older sister.

Now a sophomore at the University of Texas, he seems to be cutting out a place for himself, not only on the college scene, but in the national spectrum as well. This up-and-comer is currently training for this year's NCAA season, and took some time out of his visit home this past weekend to answer some questions for SwimmingWorldMagazine.com.

SwimmingWorldMagazine.com: First off, congrats again on that swim of yours at Nationals. You really took a lot of people by surprise. How does it feel to be a national champion?

David Walters: It's actually really good that I won that, because I found out one of my biggest weaknesses at that meet. Eddie taught me how to be the best racer, how to do the best stroke but he didn't teach me how to win.

SWM: What was that weakness?

DW: I handled it wrong. The win went to my head; I think I got too cocky from it. I started taking my focus from the meet and had a horrible 400 free. I kind of recuperated and had an okay 200, but that win cost me the whole meet.

SWM: You beat a pretty impressive field for that win. Is there anything in particular that you did to prepare for that race?

DW: My club coach was there, and I hadn't been at a meet with him in a year. It was really cool hanging out with him right before the race, so I really wanted to do good just because he was there. It was a special moment.

SWM: Speaking of preparation, you swim at the University of Texas, with some pretty impressive teammates. What is that training environment like?

DW: Well, you've got 10 junkyard bulldogs that get into two lanes. So, on a regular day you can have Ian Crocker, Brendan Hansen and Eric Shanteau in your lane, and you want to lead the lane because that's when you do your best and work out. Everyone's constantly fighting in work out. I think it's really paying off.

SWM: So, are there any Olympic aspirations for you?

DW: I think that's a really big goal, but I have so much to do to get ready for it. I think about it a lot, sometimes I can't sleep at night. (laughs) Yeah, I would definitely like to have a really good meet at Olympic Trials and have a chance to compete in the Olympics

SWM: It seems the more pressing thing for you at the moment is the upcoming swim season at UT. How is the team looking for NCAAs this year?

DW: We've got some really tough freshmen. They're probably the craziest little kids, and they're all hard workers. I think that at the last NCAAs, we had a bit of an upset. We thought we were going to do really well, but we had a bad meet. I think that now we're going to go into this NCAAs and not care how we feel or who is in the lane beside us. I think we're going to be a lot tougher in the pool, racing-wise. I think we're going to do a lot better.

SWM: You were on the FINA World Championship team this past spring. How was Australia? Did you get any surfing in?

DW: No, no surfing, but I got to hang out with the team and eat the greatest food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I didn't do anything but swim on the relay in the morning, so I kind of felt like a huge bum. I felt like I was just the guy that shoves the food in his pocket at the buffet line. (laughs)

SWM: That was your first big international meet, right? How did the experience compare to the previous meets you have been in?

DW: Yeah, that was my first. I did the Junior Pan Pacific team when I was 16, but that was nothing compared to this. Now, I really see a different view of swimming. Going to a country that really admires swimming, I got to see what it's like to get huge fame from it. Real cool. It made me work a lot harder this summer.

SWM: The University of Texas is not just a swimming powerhouse, but a great school as well. Any ideas as to what your major is going to be?

DW: I don't know. I had to take second semester off last year. I don't really have any of the hours, but I did make the honor roll in the fall. I got good grades, and I'm getting good grades now, so I have a bit of variety to choose from. I kind of like the business school, but I don't know.

SWM: Has it been difficult to find a balance between school and practice?

DW: Yeah, it's hard. One week out of the month will be really hard because it seems like all my teachers get together and say, "All right, let's all have the tests and papers due Friday on this so-and-so date." So, it's like everyone gangs up together. That one week of the month will be really hard, but other than that it's pretty lenient. Eddie's really big on school. He would rather see us all have a 4.0 than all win individual events at NCAAs.

SWM: Outside of school and swimming, what do you like to do with your free time?

DW: I really love the river. I'm a big river junkie. I like going and jumping off the cliffs and I like floating the river. I went to Austin City Limits [music festival] last year, but this year I just didn't really like the lineup.

SWM: Do you have any favorite spots in Austin?

DW: Sixth Street is definitely a good spot. There are a lot of good places to eat that have really good vibes. I like going to the smaller patio restaurants that have bands that play. It's a real cool thing to do on a Friday night to unwind. That's always fun.

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