The Morning Swim Show, Feb. 28, 2012: Sarah Haase Relives National High School Record-Breaking Swim

PHOENIX, Arizona, February 28. ON today's edition of The Morning Swim Show, we bring you Sarah Haase, the new national independent high school record holder in the 100 breaststroke.

Haase relives the experience of almost breaking the one-minute barrier in the 100-yard breaststroke at the DC Metropolitan championships, what her goals are for next month's juniors and the Olympic Trials in four months. 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.)

Jeff Commings: Welcome to The Morning Swim Show for Tuesday February 28th 2012. I'm your host Jeff Commings. And today in the show we're going to talk to the new Independent High School record holder in the 100 breaststroke Sarah Haase. She's a senior at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School at Olney, Maryland and that's where she joins us right now in the FINIS monitor. Hi Sarah, welcome to the Swim Show. It's a pleasure to have you. So 1:00.05 in the 100 breaststroke – were you expecting that or you were hoping to get under the minute?

Sarah Haase: My goal was to go under a minute but 1:00.05 is the best time by .4. I can't really complain, it's still best time, and I was happy with how I did so it was good.

Jeff Commings: How much did just missing that national high school record last year motivate you this year?

Sarah Haase: Oh definitely a lot. I really wanted it and I knew that was one of my goals as well but I think going under a minute was kind of my big motivation and I was kind of like secondary but it was definitely the big motivation for me.

Jeff Commings: Take us through that race, what you remember from it, walk us through kind of second by second if you will.

Sarah Haase: Well I stopped kind of thinking after my first pullout because my coach always told me little things to do at my first pullout so after that I kind of went blank but I remember everyone at the end of my lane kind of cheering me on and it was just a really fun race, but then I got a little tired but still tried to finish strong, did the best I could.

Jeff Commings: So now that you've ended your high school career with that national high school record, I imagine now the next goal is under a minute.

Sarah Haase: Oh yes, definitely.

Jeff Commings: So you swam this race at DC Metropolitan Championships. What's the atmosphere like there?

Sarah Haase: It is crazy. It's definitely the most fun meet that I've ever been to. It's just all of your friends come out, even non-swimmers from my school here, they all come out and support me and the fans are crazy and there's so much cheering and everyone's on deck, just cheering for each other and not even just your own team, just all your friends. It's definitely a lot of fun.

Jeff Commings: We should mention Jack Conger, who set a national record in the 500 free is a teammate of yours not only at Good Counsel but also at Rockville, Maryland. Were you a little bit more motivated after he swam that 4.17 in the 500?

Sarah Haase: Yes, that was crazy. The whole place was jumping and it was insane. Just seeing him do so well kind of motivates me as well because we're really good friends and we support each other a lot so to see him do well makes me want to do well too.

Jeff Commings: So now that you've got your high school career out of the way, I'm assuming you're looking ahead to Olympic trials, looking to I'm sure make the finals in one of those breaststroke events, right?

Sarah Haase: Yes, I'm focusing kind of on the 100, that's kind of my strongest event. But I'm trying to make at least semi-finals, maybe if I have a perfect swim then finals, but that's really my main focus right now.

Jeff Commings: What time do you think it's going to take to get into that final in the 100 breast?

Sarah Haase: I would say either 1.07 high, 1.08 low, probably 1.07 low so it's going to take a lot of hard work to get there but I'm pretty determined so I hope I can at least make the semis.

Jeff Commings: Well a lot of miracles happen at the Olympic trials. I've seen it happen so who knows? We may be seeing you parade out on deck for that final.

Sarah Haase: I hope so – that would be pretty cool.

Jeff Commings: So again we mentioned that you trained at Rockville, Maryland at Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club. Is there any kind of rivalry between Rockville-Montgomery and Curl-Burke Swim Club which is another big team out there?

Sarah Haase: Yes, that's probably our biggest rival. They have a lot of great swimmers. We have a lot of great swimmers. Always every year, like NCSA Juniors we always have a big rivalry with them down there because we can win the meet or get second so they're definitely our biggest rival around here.

Jeff Commings: Speaking of the NCSA Juniors you did really well at that meet last year. Are you going to go again this year and pop up some good times?

Sarah Haase: Yes, I'm going again this year – prelims is short course and then finals is long course so maybe in prelims I can try and get that 59 in the 100 but I don't think I'll be on a full rest but maybe in a couple of days so I'll see what I can do.

Jeff Commings: Well you never know. Like I said anything can happen, might as well.

Sarah Haase: Yes that's true.

Jeff Commings: So also you're going to Stanford. What was the motivation for you to pretty much move all the way across the country for school?

Sarah Haase: Well I kind of always wanted to go to California, I don't know why, but I've just kind of always been a California girl, and I took trips there at UNC and USC – Southern Cal – so it was a really tough decision but I'm really confident and I'm so excited to get out there and just be with the team and Lea and everyone should be a lot of fun.

Jeff Commings: It's got to be tough to be a California girl at heart getting through all of these Maryland winters?

Sarah Haase: Yes I know, this year, not too much snow, but last year's it's been pretty bad.

Jeff Commings: You've had some international experience too. You went with the USA National Junior Team to the FINA Junior World Championships. Tell us about that experience.

Sarah Haase: That was so much fun – just the team and everyone that went, it was such a great experience. Like I had some of my best friends in that trip and I was just pleased with how I did, I got second in the 50 breast so I couldn't really ask for more.

Jeff Commings: Did you kind of feel that the environment was – obviously you've never been to the Olympics – but did they try to kind of give all these teenagers a glimpse of what they could experience at the Olympics?

Sarah Haase: Yes, definitely, I mean they always say that you've got Team USA on your back and it's never been more true, I've never seen it quite like that from my perspective and like the whole team was behind you every race, so every person, whenever someone would get up there it would just go crazy and it was so much fun. It's definitely one of the best swimming experiences I've ever had.

Jeff Commings: Was that your first time out of the country?

Sarah Haase: No, it wasn't, one of the first for swimming.

Jeff Commings: Where in the world do you think you'd like to visit the most?

Sarah Haase: That's a good one – I've always wanted to go to Greece, it's always been one of my favorite places.

Jeff Commings: Well who knows? We may have a world championships down the line there and we may be seeing you step on the top of the podium in a breaststroke event.

Sarah Haase: Yes, I hope so.

Jeff Commings: Well Sarah, thanks so much for joining us and again congratulations on your national high school record and we look forward to seeing how you swim at Juniors next month.

Sarah Haase: All right, thank you, thanks so much.

Jeff Commings: Our pleasure. That is Sarah Haase joining us in the FINIS monitor from Maryland and that's going to do it for today's show. I'm Jeff Commings – thanks for watching.

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