Swimming: Welcome to the Olympic family

Tony Altobelli

NEWPORT BEACH - Focused, driven, competitive, perhaps a little

off-centered?

There’s not enough adjectives to describe the hottest thing to hit

Newport Beach since sunburn, Aaron Peirsol.

“My biggest hope is that people don’t get tired of seeing his name and

picture in your paper,” Aaron’s dad, Tim, said. “The support from the

community has been just incredible. There’s so many people to thank. I

don’t know where to begin.”

It’s been a long and emotional roller coaster ride for not only Aaron,

but for the entire family. The ride ended happily when Aaron was with a

place on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team, following Monday’s runner-up finish

in the 200-meter backstroke at the Olympic Trials.

“The intensity at the trials is so unbelievable,” Tim said. “Even when

you didn’t know anyone swimming in the event, you knew how much hard work

they’ve put into it. Seeing parents crying and seeing so much emotion,

it’s really hard to describe.”

Tim, Wella, and Aaron’s sister, Hayley, didn’t arrive in Indianapolis

until Saturday, but those three days must have seemed like a year and a

half.

“He looked awesome in the preliminaries, very smooth and fast,” Tim

said. “After he qualified for the finals, we just hoped and prayed that

he would see it all the way through.”

There was just one problem. What about Peirsol’s secret formula that

gives him his energy. What about his chocolate chip pancakes?

“He always ate those before each big race leading up to the trials,”

Tim said with a laugh. “I was told before the semifinals, he got to eat

some, but I think he’s starting to understand that he can perform well

even without the chocolate chip pancakes.”

Wella also aged rapidly during the event. “It was very hectic to say

the least,” she said. “But we’re just so proud. Aaron’s such a terrific

kid. He’s so focused and driven it’s almost hard to realize that he’s

only 17.”

So how did Aaron Peirsol spend his first moments as an Olympian?

“He was drug tested right after the meet, then given an assistant and

a bodyguard,” his mom, Wella, said. “They really want to make sure

nothing happens to any of their athletes, which is a good thing. Then,

interviews and autographs. We didn’t see him until over an hour after the

race.”

Both Tim and Wella saw Aaron’s popularity skyrocket throughout

Indianapolis during the trials.

“One mother came up to me and said that her child wants to grew his

hair out just like Aaron,” Wella said. “That’s one of the things we’ve

left up to Aaron and that’s his hair.”

Tim had an ever better one. “After his interviews, about 50 kids came

pushing through all the adults looking for an autograph from Aaron,” he

said. “He made sure he signed every one and he asked every kid what their

names were. He just didn’t grab the paper and sign it. I told him he was

in the rock-star status for the 6-and-unders.”

One thing Tim and Wella won’t have too much of and that’s time to

spend with their son. “We’ve got three days and then he’s off to train in

Pasadena with the rest of the team,” Tim said. “He won’t be back home

until Sept. 28. Our biggest task now is getting a month’s-worth of

homework for him while he’s away.”

According to Wella, don’t take Aaron’s comment’s of “just making the

team is good enough” too seriously. “He’s never satisfied and he wants to

beat (world champion) Lenny Krayzelburg in the worst way,” Wella said.

“He’s going to bust a gut trying and we all believe he can do it.”

For anyone interested in contributing to the Aaron Peirsol Olympic

Fund, call Michele Mullen at (949) 645-8989.