MENTAL PREP
BEFORE THE BEEP WITH KATE DOUGLASS BY SHOSHANNA RUTEMILLER PHOTOS BY PETER H. BICK
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n 2016 as a sophomore at Pelham Memorial High School (N.Y.), Kate Douglass broke one of the longest-standing national age group records when she took down Dara Torres’ legendary 13-14 50 yard freestyle record set in 1982. Several years later in her first year at the University of Virginia, she became the fastest freshman ever in the 200 IM at the ACC Championships with a 1:51.36. This past year, she won the 50 freestyle at NCAAs. Now, the incredibly versatile athlete is heading to her first Olympic Games. Douglass will represent Team USA in Tokyo in the 200 meter IM after placing second in the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. “In that moment when I saw that I made the team, it was just complete shock and excitement that came over me,” says Douglass. “I honestly couldn’t believe it was real at first. Making the Olympics is just always talked about as this ultimate goal in swimming, and it took me a long time to process that I had actually accomplished that.” From national age group record holder to Olympian, Douglass has had her fair share of accomplishments and accolades along the way. Even though this is Douglass’ first OIympic Games, she knows that keeping her mental preparation in line is vital. “I’m planning on preparing for this meet as I would any other meet,” she said. “It honestly helps me out to just think of the Olympics as any other meet I’ve been to. Doing so helps relax me and keeps me from getting too nervous.” At the time of her interview with Swimming World, Douglass was on her way to Tokyo from the Team USA training camp in Hawaii. She knew that as soon as she got to Japan, the reality of being an Olympian would finally sink in. Read on to get a taste of Douglass’ mental preparation in and out of the pool.
HOTEL/ATHLETE VILLAGE
As a first-time member on the U.S. Olympic team, a large part of Douglass’ time before her actual event consisted of getting to know 28
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her teammates. “Our training camp in Hawaii was an amazing experience, and I’ve already made so many new friends from it. But I think getting to Japan will finally make everything feel a bit more real and will help all of us get excited to race.” The prelims of the 200 IM are scheduled for Monday evening (Japan Standard Time), July 26, on the third day of the Olympics. Before her race, Douglass is planning on taking her mind out of the pool and into another direction. “I try not to think too much before my race,” says Douglass. “I find when I overthink a race, I start to get more nervous about it. So just relaxing and having fun with my friends—while also getting a good night’s sleep—is important to me.”
WARM-UP
On the day of her race, Douglass keeps her warm-up routine simple. No wake-up swim, no multiple warm-ups...just one nice warm-up about an hour before her race to get herself ready to go. “Recently, I’ve been moving my warm-ups closer to when I swim. I don’t usually get back in to warm up after I get my suit on. I like to just be ready to go after warm-up instead of sitting around for a while waiting to swim.” After her warm-up swim, Douglass will go through her stretching routine while listening to music. The routine helps relax her before the race, and stay warm! “I also usually get cold when I have to get back in a second time,” says Douglass. “My coach and I decided that it would be better to just stay warm and relax after warming up.”
READY ROOM
In the ready room, Douglass continues to keep it simple and pressure-free. Even before a high-stakes race like her 200 IM at Olympic Trials, she spent her time there joking around to take the pressure off.
