By Rokur Jakupsstovu, Swimming World Scandinavian Correspondent
BALTIMORE – Danish distance swimmer Lotte Friis is still really happy to live and train the United States, but recognizes it is an expensive affair that could force her home early.
Her plan is to stay in the States and train at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) until the Rio 2016 Olympics.
But Friis, who has never concealed the fact that the economic costs of training on the other side of the Atlantic are high, tells Danish swim site svoem.dk that the economy now threatens her stay in the United States more than ever before.
“I had calculated that I could afford to stay here up until 2016, but the exchange rate of the US dollar has gone up immensely in the recent months, costing me several thousand kroner a month,” Friis said. “I hope I can raise the money, otherwise my entire plan goes askew leading up to the Olympics, which would be extremely disappointing.”
Just more than a year ago Friis decided to pull up the stakes and move to the United States. In addition to a monthly payment to the club, she has to pay also double rent – one in Baltimore, where she lives with two other swimmers, and one in Copenhagen, where she shares a flat with a friend. In addition, the trips between Denmark and the US are also an expense.
“I am still super happy to be over here,” Friis said. “In NBAC we have a very intense, elitist, strong and competitive training environment with very talented coaches and really good conditions, says Lotte Friis and emphasizes the unity between swimmers. Everyone on the team has a common goal ‘the Olympic Games in Rio.’ So we all work in the same direction, understand each other, support each other and fight with and against each other in every training session.”
Lotte Friis enjoys that the club not only offers optimal training opportunities, but also gives her room to have a “normal” life with the afternoon workout complete by 4 p.m.
“I’ve got some really good friends among my teammates, and I still think that it helps me a lot to stay in another country – new experiences, new culture and new inspiration,” Friis said while currently at a three-week altitude camp in Colorado Springs. “So it’s clearly my dream and plan to stay over here until the Olympics.”
I would have thought that whatever brand of swimwear she uses would be able to help her out financially along with the Danish Frderation.