Water craft

Like a fish in water I had been taught swimming at an early age, so I was practically raised in the water. My entire family is very swimming-oriented, so it was kind of just expected. And I was born blind, so swimming was one of the only sports I could do that was viable.
Competition within I practice usually four days a week and compete in meets about once a week. It's not really so much about competition, because you're going with the fact of life that you don't go as fast as sighted people. It's mostly about beating myself. It's the competition with myself. One of the best things about that is you can't necessarily lose, and there's always going to be room for improvement. No matter how fast I go, I can always try to go faster.
Bringing it together It's given me a sense of technical prowess, thinking about how much actually goes into a stroke, how much technique you have to focus on. You always have something you're involved in, and a swim team is one of those places where you can form bonds with people. There's that team spirit.
Interval mindset When I'm doing certain races or sets, what I tend to do is instead of counting up I count down. Like if I'm doing 10 repetitions, instead of saying, 'I have done one,' I go, 'Well, you only have nine more,' and by the time you get it done it's not so bad. Like if I'm writing a paper or something, and it has to be so many words, I'll say, 'I've already done this much, the rest shouldn't be too hard.'
Looking ahead My goal is to get faster. And we're thinking my goal is to try to get on the [U.S.] Paralympic team by 2012.
Discipline and appetite [Swimming] teaches you discipline because it's one of those things where even if you don't necessarily want to practice, you have to. I don't know that [being a swimmer has] caused me to eat healthier, but it's given me an appetite, so I eat more.
Calling more swimmers If there are any other blind people reading this or parents of blind kids, get them into swimming. It gives them something to do and it has an overall positive effect on their mentality. And who knows, you could get your child to get very fast, and it's good exercise, too. CONTACT US If you or someone you know would be a good candidate for "How I Got This Body," e-mail us at body@startribune.com and include your name, age, contact information and an explanation of your fitness story.