Focus changes for Mackey

Steve Virgen

The first day of the U.S. Olympic swim trials proved to be

intimidating and nerve-racking for Nicole Mackey.

The former Newport Harbor High standout admittedly succumbed to

the pressure that came with the throngs of media and the intense

atmosphere involved at the Charter All Digital Aquatic Centre in Long

Beach Wednesday.

However, Mackey displayed a positive attitude after competing in

the 400 individual medley preliminaries, turning her focus to

Friday’s 200 IM with a lesson learned.

“I freaked myself out,” said Mackey, who finished 21st overall and

sixth in her heat in 4:54.10. “I’ve been so excited to swim this

meet, but it has build up so much. Now that I got that first event

done I should be better. I can definitely do better than that. I just

have to control my nerves.”

Mackey swam in the same heat as 400 IM favorite, Kaitlin Sandeno,

who qualified first out of the eight spots for the final later in the

evening. Mackey’s Irvine Aquazot swim club teammate, Kristen Caverly,

qualified third.

Mackey, who will be a sophomore at the University of Hawaii in the

fall, said she thought she was prepared for Wednesday because she

competed in the Olympic swim trials four years ago. But Mackey became

tight once she arrived to the newly built venue in Long Beach

Wednesday.

She was so concerned with anxiety that she was late arriving to

her lane when her heat was about to race. Overall, Mackey was just

too wound up.

“It’s the scariest meet ever,” Mackey said. “I’m disappointed, but

I got one more and I know I can do better. I think I’ll be more

relaxed. It’s not the end of the world. I have one more race. You

can’t really kill yourself about one event. It happens. I’m still

young in my career. I’m sure I will do better.”

Mackey, 19, will swim again Friday during the morning session that

starts at 9 a.m. in the 200 IM preliminaries. The semifinals are also

Friday in the evening session that begins at 5 p.m. The final is

Saturday during the evening session.

Her coach, Brent Lorenzen, noticed the pressure of the meet

effected Mackey, but told her to move on from what happened

Wednesday.

“She didn’t have a bad swim, but I know she definitely has a much

faster one in her,” Lorenzen said. “It’s just the nature of the

pressure. Like a lot of people in this meet, she was real nervous.”

The majority of the swimmers competing in the U.S. Olympic swim

trials are told to treat the event just as any other meet, but once

they get there the aura sometimes results in a different story, said

Dave Salo, the Irvine Novaquatics head man who also coached Mackey

when she trained with them two years ago.

“There’s not a kid who doesn’t step up to the blocks with their

heart in their throat and they’re choking on it,” Salo said. “It

doesn’t matter how well-prepared you are. You put these athletes in a

stadium like this, and even if the seats aren’t full, they’ve never

seen anything like this. They’re used to grandma and grandpa in the

stands in some little high school. They come into this and they’re

caught off guard.”

Salo also said a meet like the U.S. Olympic swim trials can be

intimidating for younger swimmers. Brian Pajer, the UC Irvine head

coach who is also in charge of the Aquazots, has been trying to calm

the fears of one of his young swimmers, Stephanie Gabert, a

14-year-old sophomore-to-be at Corona del Mar High.

Gabert will compete in the 200 breaststroke Sunday during the

morning session. Pajer said he has given Gabert visualization

exercises so that she might be prepared for the setting at the

Olympic trials.

“That really helps for her frame of mind,” Pajer said. “We also

talked about handling this as just another meet.”

In Mackey’s case, easier said than done.