The Road to Nationals-Ricky Berens
The Road to Nationals-Ricky Berens
University of Texas senior,
Ricky Berens is looking forward finishing his collegiate career strong with the top-ranked Longhorn men’s team. With the Big 12 Championships commencing on the 24th and NCAAs this March, Berens has a few short course races left before he shifts his focus to the
2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships this August.
Berens, whose recent achievements include winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 800-meter freestyle relay and setting a world record in the 800-m freestyle relay at the
2009 FINA World Championships, spoke with Swimnetwork about training with coaching legends Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik, and his goals for Nationals.
National teamer: Ricky Berens
Distance from the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships: 1,411 miles
Distance from the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships: 1,411 miles
With Big 12s and NCAAs just weeks away, what types of training are you focusing on right now?
Ricky: Right now, I guess it is working on the little things. I mean, we’ve put in all the hard work all season since late August and now it is just time for everything to come together. Working on strokes, turns, starts, relay starts, and mostly all the little things that we don’t get a chance to work on earlier in the season.
Ricky: Right now, I guess it is working on the little things. I mean, we’ve put in all the hard work all season since late August and now it is just time for everything to come together. Working on strokes, turns, starts, relay starts, and mostly all the little things that we don’t get a chance to work on earlier in the season.
Even with those meets still on the horizon, have you looked ahead to this summer yet?
Ricky: Right now my main focus is NCAAs and Big 12s. That is usually how most college swimmers’ seasons go, I guess, or at least for me the past 3 years. It’s been just two separate seasons. You focus on college seasons and then the day after NCAAs, Eddie is already talking about the summer and figuring out what meets to go to and plans for the summer. Right now, we have lofty goals for the NCAA season, and once that meet is over, we’ll switch that focus straight to Nationals.
Ricky: Right now my main focus is NCAAs and Big 12s. That is usually how most college swimmers’ seasons go, I guess, or at least for me the past 3 years. It’s been just two separate seasons. You focus on college seasons and then the day after NCAAs, Eddie is already talking about the summer and figuring out what meets to go to and plans for the summer. Right now, we have lofty goals for the NCAA season, and once that meet is over, we’ll switch that focus straight to Nationals.
With this being your senior season with Texas, is there anything you are looking forward to at Big 12s or NCAAs?
Ricky: Just swimming faster than I have ever swam before I guess. We have a very, very good team this year and we are a very close-knit team. As a senior leader, I am excited to not only see how I swim, but also to see how the rest of the team swims. We have a lot of younger guys who have a lot of potential to swim very well at NCAAs, and it should be exciting to see how everybody swims.
Ricky: Just swimming faster than I have ever swam before I guess. We have a very, very good team this year and we are a very close-knit team. As a senior leader, I am excited to not only see how I swim, but also to see how the rest of the team swims. We have a lot of younger guys who have a lot of potential to swim very well at NCAAs, and it should be exciting to see how everybody swims.
What have you enjoyed most about swimming for Texas and Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik?
Ricky: Oh, I don’t think there is one thing that you can pick. There are just so many. Kris and Eddie are by far the best coaching duo in the world and it is just an honor to swim under those two guys. I mean they are like my dads down here – I talk to them about everything and [they are] really great people to be around. And just the atmosphere here in Austin, it’s just great. There is so much pride for the University of Texas because there are no other professional sports teams or major league teams, so everyone just loves Texas athletics. Walking around and saying you’re a Texas athlete, everybody just looks at you differently. It’s just cool being down here, great environment.
Ricky: Oh, I don’t think there is one thing that you can pick. There are just so many. Kris and Eddie are by far the best coaching duo in the world and it is just an honor to swim under those two guys. I mean they are like my dads down here – I talk to them about everything and [they are] really great people to be around. And just the atmosphere here in Austin, it’s just great. There is so much pride for the University of Texas because there are no other professional sports teams or major league teams, so everyone just loves Texas athletics. Walking around and saying you’re a Texas athlete, everybody just looks at you differently. It’s just cool being down here, great environment.
What are your plans after graduation?
Ricky: I’m finance major and I will be graduating in December. I don’t have any big plans yet; just keep on swimming, training towards Nationals, and making the Pan Pac team this summer. Then, kind of play it by ear year-by-year and see what happens.
Ricky: I’m finance major and I will be graduating in December. I don’t have any big plans yet; just keep on swimming, training towards Nationals, and making the Pan Pac team this summer. Then, kind of play it by ear year-by-year and see what happens.
Do you have a favorite road trip memory?
Ricky: My family has a cottage up in Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. We would drive up there once a summer, every summer, since I was born. Swimming kind of screwed that up once in a while when I got older, but it is a 12-hour drive from North Carolina. That was probably our biggest road trip we would ever take. And we always had to play games. We’d always play the alphabet game where we would have to spell the alphabet with billboards.
Ricky: My family has a cottage up in Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. We would drive up there once a summer, every summer, since I was born. Swimming kind of screwed that up once in a while when I got older, but it is a 12-hour drive from North Carolina. That was probably our biggest road trip we would ever take. And we always had to play games. We’d always play the alphabet game where we would have to spell the alphabet with billboards.
It was also kind of fun, well maybe kind of lame, but there were big tunnels that would go through the mountains in Pennsylvania. We’d always try to hold our breath all the way through the tunnels.
How long were these tunnels?
Ricky: Sometimes they got pretty long, but nobody would play by the rules. They would always breathe through their nose – at least I did. They were probably mile-long tunnels.
Ricky: Sometimes they got pretty long, but nobody would play by the rules. They would always breathe through their nose – at least I did. They were probably mile-long tunnels.
What about this summer? Will you be staying at Texas to train?
Ricky: Yes, I will be here in Texas this summer. I will be here as long as Eddie and Kris are here.
Ricky: Yes, I will be here in Texas this summer. I will be here as long as Eddie and Kris are here.
How will your training change for the long course season?
Ricky: Swimming more long course. We’ve been doing short course all season, except for a little bit of the season in October and November when we did a little long course. I think in long course swimming there is a whole different stroke and whole different focus. For me, my freestyle stroke is a lot different – a lot longer – and swimming long course is more aerobic. It’s also a lot more focused. During the college season, I am doing individual medleys, butterfly, backstroke – basically I’m doing a lot of different strokes. But come long course season, I do mainly freestyle and a little bit of butterfly. It is more of a chance for me to focus on one or two strokes, instead of all four, and I think that’s really beneficial for me.
Ricky: Swimming more long course. We’ve been doing short course all season, except for a little bit of the season in October and November when we did a little long course. I think in long course swimming there is a whole different stroke and whole different focus. For me, my freestyle stroke is a lot different – a lot longer – and swimming long course is more aerobic. It’s also a lot more focused. During the college season, I am doing individual medleys, butterfly, backstroke – basically I’m doing a lot of different strokes. But come long course season, I do mainly freestyle and a little bit of butterfly. It is more of a chance for me to focus on one or two strokes, instead of all four, and I think that’s really beneficial for me.
Any particular goals for the meet in Irvine?
Ricky: One swim at a time and just make the team [Pan Pacs] I guess. It was my goal last year to make an individual event at World Champs and I think that is still another goal of mine – to not just be a relay swimmer. I would love to make my name as an individual freestyler, or even butterflier.
Ricky: One swim at a time and just make the team [Pan Pacs] I guess. It was my goal last year to make an individual event at World Champs and I think that is still another goal of mine – to not just be a relay swimmer. I would love to make my name as an individual freestyler, or even butterflier.
In what other ways will you prepare yourself for Nationals this summer? Do you do a specific type of dryland in addition to your swimming workouts?
Ricky: I might be doing some different things now. Some of our pros will do different types of dryland compared to our college team, because our college team is so big that it is kind of hard to do individualized drylands. Now, I will probably join up with their [professional] group and do more core workouts. Lori Briggs [National Team strength and conditioning coach] writes workouts for our professional guys. I think I will do some more of that stuff, which will be new and different for me to mix it up a bit. Keep things interesting.
Ricky: I might be doing some different things now. Some of our pros will do different types of dryland compared to our college team, because our college team is so big that it is kind of hard to do individualized drylands. Now, I will probably join up with their [professional] group and do more core workouts. Lori Briggs [National Team strength and conditioning coach] writes workouts for our professional guys. I think I will do some more of that stuff, which will be new and different for me to mix it up a bit. Keep things interesting.
If you could take a road trip with someone famous, who would it be and where would you go?
Ricky: I’d probably go with Shaq. (Laughs) Just because after watching some of his shows, he seems like a really funny guy to hang out with. To where? I’d say back to Miami. We could have a good time in Miami.
Ricky: I’d probably go with Shaq. (Laughs) Just because after watching some of his shows, he seems like a really funny guy to hang out with. To where? I’d say back to Miami. We could have a good time in Miami.
What kind of car would you take on this road trip with Shaq?
Ricky: Probably one of his! He probably has a very nice Ferrari or Lamborghini or something.
Ricky: Probably one of his! He probably has a very nice Ferrari or Lamborghini or something.
Like you said, the day after NCAAs you are already shifting gears to the summer season. How do you stay energized to compete each season?
Ricky: That’s a good question. I think a lot of it goes back to my younger days of swimming. I didn’t really start swimming competitively until I was 10 or so, and growing up my parents didn’t really drown me out with swimming. I wasn’t required to go to every single day of practice. I think that helped keep me going now and not burning me out. It seems kind of crazy that it was so long ago, but it kept the fun in the sport. And that is how I view swimming – it’s fun. Going to practice everyday and seeing my teammates everyday. It’s fun swimming for Eddie and Kris and going to the meets.
Ricky: That’s a good question. I think a lot of it goes back to my younger days of swimming. I didn’t really start swimming competitively until I was 10 or so, and growing up my parents didn’t really drown me out with swimming. I wasn’t required to go to every single day of practice. I think that helped keep me going now and not burning me out. It seems kind of crazy that it was so long ago, but it kept the fun in the sport. And that is how I view swimming – it’s fun. Going to practice everyday and seeing my teammates everyday. It’s fun swimming for Eddie and Kris and going to the meets.
