Talk a bit about the Fitter and Faster Tour. How did it get started? How did you come to be involved and how many stops are you going to be on?
Well the Fitter and Faster tour is a much like a swimming fantasy camp for young and upcoming swimmers. The Fitter and Faster tour is designed so that young athletes can have exposure and access to Olympic athletes. Unlike most other professional sports there is a very small portion of swimmers get to ever see or have access to the top stars. Like for instance most youth basketball players have probably been to an NBA basketball game where most young swimmers probably have not been to a swim meet with an Olympian or swam against an Olympian. The Fitter and Faster tour was designed to alleviate this lack of accessibility for young swimmers.
The tour was just started in August and has made a few stops at several large cities in the US. You can see some great video from our Chicago stop here. I will be going to Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Park City, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. Apart from Park City, I have spent a lot of time competing in all of these cities so I am excited to see everyone at the event.
What is the goal of the Fitter and Faster Tour? Are you promoting swimming in general or are you looking to inspire and challenge the next generation of national-level athletes?
The main goal of the Fitter and Faster tour is to get athletes excited about our amazing sport. Too often athletes are dropping out of our sport at around the age of 13 or 14. We are hoping that if youth swimmers can have better access to their role models then they will stay in swimming longer and achieve at a higher level. It is so important for young athletes to identify with people that they look up to. If kids can say, "Mark Gangloff or Lacy Nymeyer was just like I am when they were young" I think that is very empowering for a young athlete.
Describe a typical event. What types of activities do the young athletes get to participate in? Which ones are the biggest hits with the kids?
There is a brief overview of all the stroke at each of the clinics but our goal is not to make drastic changes to any one athletes stroke. We try to let the athletes know what are the main keys to swimming fast at each stroke. The biggest hit to all the kids though is always the fantasy races that we do. Each child will have an opportunity to swim a race in every stroke against an Olympian. That is by far the most fun for the participants and the Olympians. After the swimming portion of the event we always do an autograph signing and take photos.
I imagine that the swimmers are the main focus of each tour stop. Are there any talks or activities that concentrate on parents and their role in their swimmers development?
At the beginning of each stop while the kids are doing their warm ups for the swimming portion of the tour the Olympians will take some time to address the parents. Mainly the Olympians like to talk to the parent about the best way for them to support and encourage their own athletes.
After each event, there are probably a number of young swimmers who leave dreaming about becoming an Olympian themselves. Do you remember when you first had that same dream?
Doing the Fitter and Faster tour brings me back to a special time when I was an age group swimmer. When I was 12 years old there was an Olympian named Mike Barrowman that came to my club team and gave a swim clinic. Mike Barrowman was the 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the 200 Breaststroke and during one of his speeches he said, "someone in this group will become an Olympian some day" and after I heard him say that I decided that person was going to be me. It was a turning point in my career and I hope that I can pass on that same message to the kids that I have contact with. Whether or not your goal is to become an Olympic swimmer, you can achieve your goals and dreams.
What were your feelings as you were on the path to making your first Olympic team and seeing your Olympic dreams become real?
When I think back to my Olympic journey, I can remember that there were a lot of struggles a long the way but as long as I was making steps, often times small steps, toward becoming an Olympian that eventually I would get there. It takes a lot of time to become and Olympian and you have to celebrate your victories and learn from your mistakes.
Congratulations on a successful summer, setting a new American Record in the 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 59.01 at the USA Swimming National Championships. What does your training and competition plan look like for the rest of 2009 and going into 2010?
My wife and I will be having a baby around December so that is the most immediate thing that I am looking forward to. But next summer in August there is our Nationals which qualifies us for the Pan Pacific Games and the World Championships for 2011. I am really focused on that meet because it really sets up the next couple of years.
Thanks for your time, Mark. My best wishes for a healthy baby and best of luck with your career and the Fitter and Faster Tour.
Mark Gangloff's journey toward a dream he had as a 12-year-old swimmer, often, took "small steps," but at each step he was closing the gap between where he was and his Olympic dream.
by James Allen
