Julia Annunziato Magazine Project

LIQUID Where are they now?

A look at what the olympians are doing at home

Exclusive Liquid only interview With Olympians Stephanie Akabottle, Vanessa Mayo, and Daphne Broos

HOW TO TRAIN LIKE AN OLYMPIAN What they do and how they do it

Be The one

Who Brings Home The Gold

Proud sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team

Words of wisdom From the editor Swimming is a sport not for the lazy or weak; swimming is a sport that takes time, dedication, and strength. You have to be willing to put in many hours a week to make the times you want, and you can’t ever give up. Always remember the one person that stands between you and that gold medal is yourself.

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CONTENTS Are they really different?

Pg.7 and 8

How to train like an OLympian Pg.9

Letters from the readers; Q+A Pg.12

Top ten fastest swimmers Pg.15

How to relax

Pg. 16

Balancing it all Pg.18

How Phelps won gold Pg.22

Was it all worth it?

Pg. 24

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DRINK LIKE THEM -------------------------------------

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TO BE LIKE THEM --------------------------------------------

100.00

Advocare

Are They Really Different?

An interview with the Olympians, by Julia Annunziato

To be on the U.S. Olympics team, it takes dedication, time, and commitment. Almost every day of your life, you should be practicing to make sure you remain the best of the best; the cream of the crop for your sport. You train and train and train, and then it’s time to shine. You dive in, and your powerful arms carry you through the water. You kick and kick until it feels like your legs are going to fall off, and finally slam into the wall, ending the race of your life. You look up at the scoreboard as millions of fans around the world cheer your name; you got first place, and a new world record to boot.

For the next couple of months, your name is in the papers, proudly saying how you brought home the gold. You sign autographs, pose for photos for cereal companies, and show up on late night talk shows.

After a while, things start to calm down, and you can go back to your normal life. However, what is the normal life of an Olympian? We only ever hear about their lives before and during the Olympics; do they just disappear, occasionally coming out of seclusion to say hi to fans? That’s why we decided to interview U.S. Olympians Vanessa Mayo, Stephanie Akabottle, and Daphne Broos to find out what an Olympian’s life is actually like when they’re not training for the Olympics.

“It’s really nothing that different from yours or anyone else’s,” stated Vanessa Mayo, who in 2016 brought home the gold for the 100 fly, an extremely difficult and tiring stroke. “I mean sure when I go out in public, people sometimes swarm me and ask for autographs, but when I’m not training or shopping I’m actually kind of lazy.” She laughed. “I take tons of naps because with schoolwork and an active lifestyle, I’m always extremely tired.”

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Vanessa is currently enrolled at Lake Mary high school, and when asked what she likes to do for fun, she happily explained she loves to spend time with her family. “My dog Molly is basically the sweetest thing ever and I love spending time with her. She’s a beagle and she likes doing everything I do; eating and sleeping.” Vanessa joked. “My big brother is fun to be around too, even though he can be a major pain in the butt sometimes. Being with my family is what makes me happy; they’re my inspiration.”

Vanessa trains six days a week most weeks, and it can be tiring. That’s why at home she enjoys just being lazy and hanging out with her family. Stephanie Akabottle, however, doesn’t have time to relax most weeks.

“I swim six days a week, do weights at home or with the team at least three times a week, have schoolwork to do, and I have piano lessons on top of all of that,” Stephanie explained to us. Stephanie, well known for her gold medal winning backstroke times, lives a very busy life, contrary to Vanessa’s.

“Weekends are my saving grace. I have time to do things with my friends, like go to the park or catch a movie,” she continued. “I also love playing video games and getting to do things with my family, or just keeping up with the latest memes.”

We asked Stephanie if school was stressful for her, and she said yes. “My friends make it better though.

We joke around after class and at lunch, and it just makes everything... easier.” She stated thoughtfully.

“I’m basically like an average teenager, minus being an Olympian of course.” She laughed.

Stephanie, who attends Seminole Highschool, has the pleasure of spending some of her classes with Daphne

From left to right: Vanessa Mayo, Daphne Broos, and Stephanie Akabottle

Broos, the Olympian who blew us all away with her 100 free time, and once again brought gold to the United States. “She’s really sweet and considerate, and helps me out whenever I’m stressed or don’t understand something.”

Daphne practices alongside Stephanie with almost everything they do. “Steph makes practice fun.

We could all be dying on a set, then Stephanie will randomly say something funny that makes the entire team laugh,” Daphne said.

families, or just acting like normal teenagers. They like playing video games and eating junk food with friends (As long as it doesn’t involve meat! Stephanie and Daphne are vegetarians!), they go to the movies on weekends or walk around the mall. Most importantly, they have fun.

“If I only swam and did schoolwork every day, I’d probably lose my mind,” Daphne laughed. “My family and friends are what make me, me. They’re the reason why my life is so incredible.”

We asked Daphne if life at home could be stressful due to so much schoolwork and practice, but she said that her family makes everything better. “My home life mostly involves me hanging out with my siblings and parents. Sometimes we’ll go for walks or go to theme parks together.” Daphne announced.

“I love them so much and honestly I couldn’t picture myself being who I am today without them. They’re the ones that pushed me and drove me to practice every morning at 5 in the morning, and they’re the ones that drive me to weights or inspire me to keep swimming everyday of my life.”

Overall, the Olympians can all agree on one thing; their lives are as normal as anyone else’s. Their favorite moments are when they’re with their

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Train

INSANE

The Key to Training Like an Olympian

by Julia Annunziato

B

ecoming an Olympian is no easy task, and to be like them, you need to train like them.

Olympians have specifially planned diets for almost every day of the year, which is important when trying to do what they do. Eating too many fats can make them feel bloated while they race, or get them sick, so it’s important that they eat lots of healthier foods to keep them fit for before the race.

Then of course, there’s the factor of training.

Weightlifting, practice, and rest are what help create an Olympian. When lifting weights, it’s important to know your limits. Overdoing it can end up hurting you and your career.

If you feel any serious pain, please do your body a favor and stop.

Finally, don’t do anything you don’t feel ready to do. Just because your friend can lift 200 pounds doesn’t mean you can aswell. Stick with the basics; pushups, pull ups, sit ups, and squats will help streghten your body over time.

Don’t get frustrated if you don’t have abs in the next two days after working out, building muscle takes time, they don’t just appear overnight!

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Have fun, get fit

SWIMMERS ARE JUST LIKE TURTLES They’re fast in water, and slow on land.

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