By Grace Nordquist, Swimming World College Intern.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Michael Andrew had another successful weekend of swimming at the 2019 TYR Pro Series meet, taking home the gold in five events. Andrew claimed firsts in the 50 backstroke, 50 butterfly, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, and the 50 free.
Photo Courtesy: Grace Nordquist
Never having competed in Des Moines, he was amazed at the brand new YMCA facility.
“I’m kind of blown away by how beautiful the pool is,” he told Swimming World. This was Andrew’s first time back competing in the Midwest since his recent move to California. Originally from Kansas, the 19-year-old traded snow for sunshine back in December.
“It’s paradise, I love it,” he said.
Andrew has competed in two local meets since moving to California. Both were outdoor meets, and says they were a little chilly. The Andrews chose a rough season to move to California, as it’s the worst winter the state has seen in years.
“I feel like we brought all the Kansas weather with us” Andrew joked.
Besides getting a nice tan, Andrew talks about how moving to California has impacted his training.
“We’re always kind of changing things each season,” he said.
When arriving in California Andrew focused on 200 pace work the first couple of weeks. Now he has switched back to 100 pace. Recently, they’ve also started experimenting with weight lifting, but are looking at unconventional methods that don’t break the body down.
Aside from putting work in the pool, surfing has been an additional work out. Andrew says he will surf for 2-3 hours some days. Because he is new to surfing, he does a lot of paddling. Surfing has been a healthy release to get away from the pool, after rough practices.
Photo Courtesy: Instagram, @swimmermichael
Andrew has been use to the Kansas winters and staying inside, which has often led to him getting sick. Now, surfing with the dolphins and spending time at the ocean, he enjoys much more sunlight. While he says he loved the Midwest, the California experience has been amazing.
Andrew was glowing, more than just his tan, talking about his new life in California. He agrees with what his mom has said: “A happy swimmers a fast swimmer.”
Andrew and his dad are known for trying out lots of new training methods from the USRPT to RPR (central nervous system reset), and more. But the sunshine, which seems simple, may be one of the best methods yet.
Commentary: All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Got the money California is ok. You don’t have the money you live in Riverside or Bakersfield.