Peninsula Sophomore Swimmer Trains to Qualify for the Olympics
From Feb. 27 to Mar. 1, sophomore Brandon Yoon participated in the USA Championship Swim Sectionals in Carlsbad, California. This tournament is part of a series of meets that make up the four-year Olympic training cycle. These competitions attract high-ranked swimmers from around the world who are training to qualify for the Olympics.
Sectionals is the first level of the USA Championship Series and is below other levels of competition such as the Futures Championships and eventual Olympic Trials. However, due to its invitational status, it is much harder to qualify for than open-entry swim events, resulting in this level being composed of swimmers aiming to compete in college. In Carlsbad, Yoon placed 44th in the 50-yard freestyle and 40th in the 200-yard freestyle, both of which were out of pools with 200 swimmers.
“There is a lot of pressure and competitiveness [at these higher-level events], but that just makes the meets more exciting,” Yoon said. “I feel like I do a good job of controlling my nerves and being confident before my races.”
In addition to training with Peninsula’s swim team, Yoon is part of a club swim team called Zenith Aquatic Program. To prepare for Sectionals, Yoon trained after school with his club team for five to six days a week and with Peninsula’s team every weekday. In addition to these weekly practices, Yoon wakes up early on most school days to work out at the gym.
“I practice as much as possible and use [my long-term goal of swimming in the Olympics as motivation] to push myself beyond my limits,” Yoon said. “Aside from the nerves, it is always exciting to compete at meets [like the Sectionals meet] and to see how much my hard work has paid off.”
In order to perform well at the USA Championship level, Yoon relied on his club coach DeAnne Twidell-Preyer for advice about how to push himself to the next level.
“I know Brandon very well as an athlete, and I know what makes him tick,” Twidell-Preyer said. “I think my understanding of him and [his needs] helps me [provide him with the training needed to] succeed.”
Since Yoon is a sophomore, Twidell-Preyer recognizes that qualifying for these events at a young age will help him to gain experience for the future. Twidell-Preyer believes that Yoon has significantly improved his mental and physical technique throughout the club season and hopes that he will continue to do so if he stays healthy and positive.
“Yoon has improved on being aware of himself since competing is not just about what you do physically in the water,” Twidell-Preyer said. “What you do mentally during the race is a huge component of swimming, and that is something Yoon has mastered.”
Sophomore Jackie Hung has watched Yoon train and prepare for meets throughout his high school career. She admires the amount of time and dedication he puts into swimming on a daily basis. Hung witnessed Yoon work hard every day mentally and physically as he was preparing to perform in Carlsbad.
“Brandon inspires me to put as much effort into swimming as he does,” Hung said. “Even though he is hard on himself, he works really hard to reach his goals.”
Yoon continues to train with his club and school team in hopes of breaking school records and possibly swimming at a Division I college in the future. Moving forward on the four-year Olympic training cycle, Yoon also hopes to accomplish his goal of making it onto the USA Olympic team.
