Jan. 16, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Welcome to "Q&A With The Captains," a continuing weekly segment that features a question-and-answer style interview with one of Mizzou women's swimming and diving's team captains. This week we sit down with junior co-captain Lori Halvorson.
How was your time at home for winter break?
It was fun. I live in Columbia now so I didn't have to go far. I traveled a lot though. I saw some family in South Dakota for Christmas and also went down to the Cotton Bowl to see the Mizzou-Arkansas game.
What did you do to ring in the New Year?
I went to the Cotton Bowl. It was a lot warmer than Columbia, which I liked a lot.
What was the best part of the team's training trip to Phoenix?
The best part of the trip was that we came a lot closer together through hard training, being away and spending time with one another 24 hours of the day. It's always great to really bond as a team during the trip.
The team has been undergoing a tough training cycle. What kinds of things does this involve?
It includes many hours of training. We train more than during a typical school week. We do a lot of dryland after practice and do not have as much rest between practices. It's a lot of work, but when we get behind each other it's really not that bad. It's all about mentally getting through it. You don't have school to get you off track. It's strictly swimming.
What effect do you think it has had on the team's preparation for the second half of the season?
It's going to have a lot of impact at conference. We've been training really hard. That will show at conference. We'll have some very fast swims. The way our times are going during meets and at practice we could be one of those "big hit" teams at conference.
What were your thoughts headed into this past week's matchup with Arkansas and Missouri State?
We knew it was going to be a big challenge. Arkansas had a great recruiting class and we had to be mentally prepared, especially after training trip when we were all tired and sore. You have to get through it mentally because you're so tired. We knew we'd have to step it up because they would give us their all.
Given that the meet was a nail-biter throughout, how do you respond as a captain to keep the team motivated?
The key is to keep everyone cheering for the rest of the team. Sometimes during the meet people get tired or stressed out or really focused on their own race. It really helps the team when everyone gets up and cheers. It can't just be the captains or one person. When we all get behind each other we do really well.
You finished with solid times in both the 200 free and 200 IM in the meet versus Arkansas. Do you feel like you have hit your stride in the season?
I think a lot of the training is different this year. Everyone seems to be hitting their stride more this year than last year. I think it has a lot to do with everyone getting behind each other and knowing that we can get up and go those fast times in season. It's getting exciting to see everyone going these times in season though. Conference should be fun.
How will the team fare this weekend in its road contest at Iowa State?
It's going to be a fun meet. We're going to have a few matchups here and there. Some people might do some events they wouldn't normally do. I like going to Iowa State though. They're a fun team to race and always step up.
What tough tests lie ahead for the team before heading to Austin for conference next month?
We have Drury, Iowa and Nebraska left. Everyone in the Big 12 is tough and Drury is always a good team to swim against. Iowa should be a good meet, too. I think one of our biggest tests will be just getting through training and stepping up at these dual meets. If we can post some fast times maybe we can even get a higher ranking. On the whole, we need to believe in ourselves going into conference.
How much do you think about conference throughout the season?
We probably think about it every day. Every hour of the day. We're always thinking about it and what we need to do to perform our best there and ultimately get to NCAAs.
The team will probably still be on the road headed back to Columbia on Saturday when the Mizzou-Kansas men's basketball game tips at 7 p.m. I'm sure you guys will stay updated on the score though. What do you predict the final score of the game will be?
Kansas is doing really well this year, but I'm going to say 78-64 in favor of Missouri.