Trent Staley was a team captain at USC and a U.S. National Team swimmer. He's held leadership positions throughout his career. He medaled for the U.S. at 2003 WUGs, and in 2004, won the 200 back at U.S. Nationals. He talks about his past, present, and what the sport needs in the future in this week's 20 Question Tuesday.
1) Where are you, and what are you doing now - married, kids?
Trent: No wife or kids yet, but as of this summer both of my sisters are married and they are younger than I am so I might need to think about moving on that front! Honestly, I am just focused on work and my involvement in swimming post-competitive-career right now.
2) How involved are you with swimming now?
Trent: Well, for someone who doesn’t compete, coach or work at USA Swimming, I guess I am pretty involved. I’ve been an athlete representative to USA Swimming since I was in high school and currently I serve on several committees that are focused on the National Team and International Competition. I was also an ex-officio member of the Board of Swimetwork LLC, which I really enjoyed because it brought my marketing and swimming opinions together in one venue.
3) How did you recover from 2004 Trials, and how nice was it to come back later that year and win Nationals?
Trent: 2004 was a tough year on several fronts and I really hated the idea that trials would be my last swim, so when Sean Hutchison encouraged me to punch the time card for another month and go to Nationals, I figured there was no harm. At Nationals it was great to be on top of the podium though I really did miss racing the usual suspects.
4) What were your fond memories as a USC swimmer and how did your coach shape you?
Trent: So many come to mind. I feel very fortunate to continue to have a relationship with Mark Schubert and to be able to call him a friend. In my school days he was a great mentor and taught me a lot about personal responsibility. As for memories, I swam with a great group of guys and girls who came to the pool every single day and gave all they had. I really miss those years spent working with a group of people who were so focused on being the best in the world... it’s a rare opportunity in this life.
5) What was USC like as an educational experience and how did that prepare you for the "real world"?
Trent: I loved it. Southern California offers an excellent balance between conceptual and practical teaching. The University is known for putting a premium on leadership skills when accepting students so the classroom environment is just as competitive as the pool. As for “real world” preparation, I have to acknowledge the “Trojan Family” which is what we call our alumni network. My best friend in LA is a UCLA grad and even he admits jealousy for the advantages a person has in the "real world" when their resume includes the letters USC.
6) You have been able to stay near the sport since retiring - who are some up-and-coming male and female swimmers on your radar for 2012?
Trent: I’ll start by being a homer: Ari Kukors. The 200 IM and 8 free relay splits in Rome were only a taste of what she can do and with her new training situation and partners in Fullerton, I’m really excited for her. On the guys side I like the moves Andrew Gemmell and Fran Crippen made in Open Water this summer and am hopeful that their improvement continues. I think Fran has taken a very professional approach to what he is doing and it is paying off.
7) Your blogs are always so well done - where did your writing skills come from, and how important is it for athletes to be able to write, and have some sort of new media savvy?
Trent: I don’t know if you are kidding with me or not Bob, ‘cause those blogs got some pretty mixed reviews. I was homeschooled so I guess my mother should get the praise or blame for my writing, though I doubt she ever really wanted me to write a blog. As for athletes... with evolving mediums, new doors are opening for personal expression and promotion. Quite a few national teamers use twitter and I love the dynamic. Those who tweeted from World Champs provided an insider view of the competition that previously went unseen. I think that showing personality via social media, blogging, etc. is important in creating a brand – especially when the brand is an athlete or celebrity. If swimmers are going to be more than a passing fancy every 4 years, the ability to express oneself and do it in the right place at the right time is critical.
8) You have commented extensively on the technology of the swimsuit - what did suit-gate do to the sport?
Trent: To say that everything that has happened since February 2008 was negative for swimming would be a mistake. The Records were exciting and the controversy helped keep swimming in the sports media spotlight in a year when we typically wouldn’t get a lot of attention. Add Phelpsmania to this attention and you get the 12-percent growth we’ve seen in USA Swimming membership this year. That said, when the question of which suit a person wears becomes more important than how/where they train, it isn’t good for the sport.
9) Is this suit flap over now - and if not, when will it be?
Trent: That is a good question. In my opinion as long as there are those who stand to financially benefit from a rule or law being changed there will be a lobby for that change. The suit flaps on... or something like that
10) When do you, as a world-class competitor, see world records being broken again?
Trent: Having never swam in the latest suits I will trust a truly world class competitor’s opinion who has: If (Aaron) Peirsol thinks they will be broken sooner rather than later, I’m all for believing him. I think that a swimmer like (Ariana) Kukors, who had a breakthrough in the suit, learned how to race on the world stage and that won’t go away when the suit does. I do believe that race strategy and technique will need to be refined across the board to improve post-suit, but that shouldn’t take too long.
11) Should the world records set in these suits - which would include many of Michael's records in fact - be taken off the book or have an asterisk?
Trent: I think that it would be terrible to take records away which were set during this era. Swimmers were not the ones who got us in this mess, they competed under the rules they were given and should not have their accomplishments denied. I am intrigued by the possibility of two sets of records, though I am not convinced where the line should be drawn. The beauty of swimming is its objectivity and these conversations are very subjective. I guess I will return to my previous answer and say that really, I am rooting for swimmers to rectify the situation through hard work and determination.
12) What is this suit technology comparable to in, say, another sport - can you give an example; is it like aluminum bats or rubber baseballs in Major League Baseball?
Trent: I have used the example of tennis rackets in the past, which is similar to yours in MLB but really both are examples of sports where an outside item is the focal point of the game. In those sports the point is to put one’s skills using the particular item up against his or her competition. I think swimming is different. It is a sport that is meant to judge one’s ability to move quickly from point to point without help. The only sport like it, in my mind, is running. Even cycling, despite what Lance says, is in fact about a bike and how a person uses it to get from point to point. In running, the comparable change would be going from flats to spiked shoes. Spikes allow runners to interact with the environment differently – they aid speed in a similar way to how “tech suits” do. If spikes first came into existence in 2008 there would no doubt have been a bevy of world records set and the IAAF would be faced with similar issues as we have in swimming. Lucky for them, spikes have been around for a very long-long time.
13) What did swimming teach you about life?
Trent: Swimming taught me that a person only succeeds, long term, through hard work. Cutting corners may lead to positive results in the moment but eventually the person who puts in the most blood, sweat and tears will be the most successful.
14) What did swimming teach you about yourself?
Trent: That if I am not willing to shed blood, pour out sweat and even shed a tear, I had better find another way to spend my time!
15) How frequently do you stay in touch with former swimmers - and who are a few we may remember?
Trent: Pretty frequently. I used to see the Kukors, Margaret Hoelzer and Megan Jendrick every so often at KING and I spent some time with the Trojan breaststroke crew this summer. (Jessica) Hardy and (Rebecca) Soni are close friends with a great girl I dated who swam at ‘SC and is now Reb’s roommate. Keri Hehn and I have also kept in touch off and on since WUGs in 2003. Lindsey Mintenko, Tim Leibhold, Maddy and Fran Crippen, Neil Walker, Aaron Peirsol, Kalyn Keller and Chris Thompson are all involved on the “dry side” of the sport so I see or hear from them a little more often too.
16) Do you swim now, and do you miss it?
Trent: I got in a few times in May with a friend who swam at Michigan but since then I have only gotten in once. I do miss it. I miss being in shape and having the consistency that swimming provides. I really should get back in the habit.
17) What's the hardest part about retiring and what should athletes nearing retirement know, from your perspective?
Trent: The hardest part is losing a daily activity in which you have derived so much personal satisfaction. Finding other positive things to fill your time like work, other sports and relationships is important... otherwise, I think swimmers are prone to getting depressed and/or coming back out of retirement because they have a void they don’t know how else to fill.
18) If you could put the Summer Olympics anywhere, where would that be, and why?
Trent: Vote early and often for Chicago to get the 2016 bid. I believe that USA Swimming will be in a very good position to capitalize on a Games here at home and hopefully continue to elevate the sport in the popular conscious.
19) What is your dream medley relay team - who and why?
Trent: Hmmm, this is a tough one. In my opinion the team of (Aaron) Peirsol, (Brendan) Hansen, (Michael) Phelps and (Jason) Lezak is the gold standard of medley relays. On the women’s side (Natalie) Coughlin, (Jessica) Hardy, Mary T. Meagher and Jenny Thompson all together in their prime would be pretty daunting too.
20) From a PR perspective, what can swimming as a sport and lifestyle do to build this amazing brand that swimming has evolved into, and what are some hurdles we should all be aware of?
Trent: USA Swimming has grown significantly of late but I am cautious of what will happen when Phelps moves on. The NBA soared in popularity during the days of Jordan but after he retired, the leauge lulled. There is a high likelihood that we will suffer a similar effect when our Michael says goodbye and this is why I said USA Swimming would benefit greatly from a Chicago Olympics in 2016. The best thing we can do right now as an organization to combat that is provide value to our members. Coaching that is creative but grounded in hard work, plus quality meets that are exciting and provide real opportunities for success are critical to the brand. If we get those pieces right, word of mouth will do a lot for our public relations I'd say.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
20 Question Tuesday with Trent Staley
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