Torri Huske Michael Andrew
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U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming Monday, June 14, 2021 Omaha, Nebraska, USA CHI Health Center Torri Huske 100 Butterfly Then even on race day I feel like I don't usually try to think about my swims until, like, I'm warming up. And even then Michael Andrew I feel like I kinda just block it all out, but up until like 15 minutes before when I'm in the ready room, I don't usually 100 Breaststroke think about my swim that much. Media Conference Oh, the medal ceremony was a little bit overwhelming for me but it was still really fun. Q. My question is for Michael. What was the difference Q. Torri, congratulations. I was wondering if you in your mindset in going into the semifinal race last could talk a little bit more about the strength training night versus tonight? Did you feel a little bit more you did in the last year. You said COVID kind of pressure because it was a final and something was at helped you. Specifically what you did and if you think stake? What was the difference in your approach last you would have made the Olympic Team had you not night versus tonight? done the strength training? MICHAEL ANDREW: Yeah, naturally there was a lot more TORRI HUSKE: I don't know, you can never really say. I pressure. I remember waking up this morning and definitely wouldn't have been as fast -- or I wouldn't have probably the first time I felt as nauseous as I was really for done as wells a did without it. I feel like COVID was a anything. blessing. I tried to make the best out of it that I could, and I feel like the strength training made a big difference in my Going into the semis I knew if I could swim similar to what I second 25, because I normally tend to just, like, fly and die. did in the morning, with little minor details, fix it up, but I got I just go out hard and then I kinda just see if I can hold on, out of my lane and started focus on what Nick was doing so I feel like it really helped my second 50. next to me and taking that semifinal swim onto the finals, I wanted to make those adjustments and did even worse. Q. Michael, you did a really interesting podcast with Brett Hawke, and you talked about during lock down I'm grateful that I was able to get my hand on the wall first. last year at some point having these Sunday church Really the holy spirit guided the swim in that last couple lunches, developing connections with people outside meters, but there is a lot we can work on and I'm excited the sport. Where do you think those people were for the next month as we get ready for Tokyo. watching this? Would they congregate? Could you expand on that idea of purposes as not being, like, big Q. Torri, you talked before about how you didn't want accomplishments but just the connectivity with to think about this meet, the atmosphere, until you got others? here and you were able to shut everything out. How did that go once you got here and take me through the MICHAEL ANDREW: Right. That's an amazing question, moments when you are standing there getting the thank you, Karen. Yeah, so first of all, I know my group of medal tonight in front of everybody. friends in Oceanside from my Rhythm Church, they're all watching, and there is a Rhythm House where all the boys TORRI HUSKE: I feel like I did the same thing even when live. I can picture them all just going crazy over this I was here. When I first walked into the pool, I -- so I evening. Everybody is kinda dispersed, but it was like, this watched Wave I last week because my friends were there, last season was a huge blessing for me, because it was a and I thought oh my God I'm going to be so intimidated. It time that I could be a little bit away from swimming and looked scary, but it was not that bad. I was preparing focus on creating really deeper relationships, connections myself to be scared and intimidated when I walked in, and I that went beyond just the superficial, like oh, you're thought okay it's not that bad. shooting for the Olympics. You're an athlete. 108762-1-1666 2021-06-15 03:17:00 GMT Page 1 of 5 too high after this race, because I feel like I won't be able to That was really special for me. It was nice to have that fall asleep at night otherwise, and I have I think two races because it takes a lot of the pressure off of the racing, tomorrow. knowing that it doesn't define who I am. Something recently that's struck a chord with me -- and this is 1 I'm trying to, like, focus more on my other races now. I'm Corinthians 9:24-27. It speaks about everybody runs the trying to, like, move on and start refocusing. It hasn't really race but only one achieves the prize. A lot of us -- I get as changed my mindset. an athlete we work really hard. We discipline our bodies for an outcome. This outcome is today, where we are now, MICHAEL ANDREW: She is young. She doesn't fatigue and it's amazing, but it's perishable. yet. (Laughter.) And I think I can stand up on the blocks today and Q. Torri, congratulations. I'm curious if you could talk tomorrow and the rest of my life with a lot of freedom about your heritage. In here this week we have talked knowing that it doesn't increase my worth and my value to with others about swimming being a sport that is my friends, my relationships, my family, and ultimately, with basically, you know, white kids, right? And I'm Jesus Christ. It gives me a lot of freedom to just race and curious, especially with the conversation in our love what I do, so very grateful to be here. Thank you. country now about -- over issues involving Asian and Asian hate. I'm curious if you would want to speak to Q. Michael, your patients have been involved that as well. It's a lot I'm throwing at you but I would intimately in your career since day one all the way to love to hear about your perspective. now. I know you got to share a moment with your dad in the coaches' box and then your mom. What was TORRI HUSKE: My mom has a cool story. She grew up that like? Do you feel like it's, you know, they're in China and grew up in a labor camp in China. After Mao competing right there with you and it's -- it seems a lot Tse-tung died and the colleges were closed for a long time different than the typical swim parent type thing. because they didn't want people to be super educated. Once they opened up again, she was 16 and she had to MICHAEL ANDREW: We do have a very unique team; it's take this test to potentially get in, and she was competing very much a team. It's hard to kind of put into words. So against thirty years old because they had been closed for we recently -- we just came out of a hectic season, a so long, so it was competitive getting in, but she is super stressful season for our family, and it took a lot of stepping smart. back and understanding what's the bigger picture, much like with our purpose, what I was speaking about with She ended up going to college at 16 in China and later she Karen. moved to the US. She studied architecture in China but she absolutely hated it, so later she studied engineering, Came to a point where our family, our team, was about to and she studied at Virginia Tech, and she didn't like separate, and a lot of it was because swimming was at the engineering that much either, and then she became like an center, and that was the center of our focus. And now we IT person. Yeah, I feel like she is a really big inspiration to are able to be here as a family. My sister is here, my me. Yeah, I'm just lucky to have her. biggest supporter, she was crying the biggest crocodile tears, and I love to see that because at a time I felt like I Q. Torri, can you talk about making this team and was going to be here, just me and my dad, at Trials. having Claire finish right behind you? There has been a lot made of the "young guns" as you creep up on the But we've got our whole family back together, and it's a veteran swimmers here and you proved something in very special thing. And to be able to finish a race and that race. Do you get the sense and the feeling that running to get and give them love, you know, I feel very that race is the beginning for both of you? blessed. TORRI HUSKE: Yeah, it was super exciting being next to Q.