NAC Masters: Getting to Know Sally Watson

 NAC Masters:  Getting to Know Sally Watson

What do you do in Nashville? Tell us about your family and your life
here?

I am originally from northern Kentucky, and went to college at Indiana
University. In 1990 I moved to Nashville to attend medical school at
Vanderbilt.  I met my husband here and this has been our home ever since. 
We have two wonderful boys: Billy, age 14; and Thomas, age 9. I am a
pediatrician at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, with a subspecialty in
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. My job is to provide sedation for (and
mostly play with) children undergoing non-operative procedures. It is quite
a fulfilling role, as it allows me to enjoy being a doctor but also to be able to
spend a large amount of time with my family.

What drove you into the water with NAC Masters?

Though I've always liked the water, as an adult I reluctantly started
swimming in 2014 as physical therapy for a back injury. Surprisingly, I
loved it and my personal trainer sent me to Nashville Aquatic Club Masters
and Coach Ashley Whitney. I never looked back. I quickly discovered the
transformative power that water can bring to a person’s body, mind, and
spirit in a way unlike any “earth-bound” experience I had ever known.
Since then, swimming has become my passion. It brings me joy, a challenge,
peace, and a tribe. My other interest is triathlon, in which I enjoy making
others feel better about their performance by being the slowest runner in the
race.

What makes Coach Ashley so unique?

Over the past four years Ashley’s meticulous, individual attention and
devotion to Master's swimmers have forced me to seek constant
improvement and excellence.  For me, it has been a journey of her noticing
the teeny-tiny things that make a huge difference, but also of keeping me
grounded in the big picture. She has been the encourager and supporter, but
also the pusher and butt-kicker.

Pairing Physical Therapy and Coaching on deck.

Early this year, both Chris Wolfe and Ashley watched your stroke?  How has that affected your experience in the water?

I began physical therapy with Chris Wolfe about a year ago, and he is a one-
of-a-kind physical therapist. He could not have a more genuine passion and

intuition for helping his patients. Because Chris is an athlete himself, his
command of sports physiology and performance is truly unique.
Early this year I had both Ashley and Chris watch me swim, and
collaboratively analyze my swimming and stroke.  The privilege and benefit
of having the eyes and minds of these two together was a game-changer. For
the first time, my body outside of the water and my body inside the water
were not two separate entities.  By learning to move better on land with
Chris, I learned to move better through the water with Ashley. 

What’s next?

Well…unfortunately I haven’t been able to swim since February due to
health issues and a recent surgery. However, I’m recovering well and am
planning to jump in again soon. I am chomping at the bit to get back to
swimming and triathlons. I know that realistically it will demand a lot of
patience and hard work, and will bring its share of frustration. But I am
confident it will come, because I have the blessing of being surrounded by
an overwhelming infrastructure of support. The wonderful friends I have
made along this journey—both in the water at NAC and in the world of
triathlon—are life-changers and lifesavers.  And I could not be more grateful
for the gift of all of them.