Ohio University’s Emily Hobel was recently inducted into the Kermit Blosser Hall of Fame for her outstanding collegiate swimming career as a Bobcat from 1997-2001. As a 20-time Mid-American Conference champion and two-time NCAA Academic All American, Hobel knew what it took to stand atop the podium.
After spending a memorable weekend walking the red brick paths of the Ohio University campus, Hobel had much to reminisce on from her experience as a student-athlete. When asked about her decision to attend OU, she expressed how the campus and team cohesiveness was incomparable.
“When I came here, not only did I fall in love with the campus, but the team, they were just so awesome. They were so fun… The whole team aspect of it was something I couldn’t turn down,” Hobel said.
Hobel is a firm believer that building a positive team environment and having a good attitude is the secret to success. At the conclusion of Hobel’s freshman season, the Bobcats took second place to Miami University by 6.5 points at the MAC championships. The following year, the team was fired up with the goal engraved in their minds to beat Miami, only to fall short again by about 100 points.
“Everybody kind of had a bad attitude. The attitude wasn’t right. We were only focused on winning and nothing else,” Hobel said.
Going into Hobel’s junior season, the Bobcats had a shift in mindset that made all the difference. The OU swim and dive team decided to break things down and focus on what they needed to do to better themselves.
“My junior year, the year that we won, our team captains were like, ‘Look, a goal of ours, is not going to be to win MACs. Our goal is to be positive, supportive of each other, do what we need to do in the water. All of these things that are going to make a team,’” Hobel said.
As the season unfolded, the team never talked about winning. Instead, it focused on swimming smart and supporting one another.
“We were unstoppable,” Hobel said.
As Hobel reflected on her past, she shared another one of her proudest moments as a Bobcat.
“We never lost a relay at MACs out of my four years here. I didn’t even realize it at the time how big that was…I love that one because it’s so much of a team aspect. It took everybody, it took the whole team,” Hobel said.
When it came to training and competing, Hobel exemplified the mindset of a champion from a young age.
“I had one of the best coaches when I was 16 who always told us, ‘If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves,’” Hobel said.
Hobel carried her beliefs into her college swimming career as she continued to focus on the small things, such as stroke technique, consistency, practicing good turns and underwaters and overall training the way that she wanted to swim in a meet.
“We’re here to be good so that’s how we trained,” Hobel said.
On top of her smart training tactics, she also focused on her habits outside of the pool. Hobel made sure to fuel her body appropriately and stay positive when she was off the pool deck as well.
“On my dorm room wall, I had a sign that said, ‘Adversity makes some people break and others break records,’” Hobel said.
Swimming is not only a physical sport, but a mental one, too. Hobel was an advocate for the method of visualization and its role in preparing her for success.
“I would visualize my races a month leading up to the MACs. I would close my eyes and I would visualize every stroke and every turn. I was ready when the time came,” she said.
College athletics prepares you for so many different areas of life. As a current personal trainer, wife and mother of two, Hobel has found her experiences as a student-athlete valuable to her adult lifestyle.
“I didn’t realize it at the time how marketable I was when I graduated. As a student-athlete, you know so much about time management, discipline and what it takes to set a goal and achieve it. All of these things that are so important to businesses and jobs. They want somebody with that work ethic,” Hobel said.
Hobel’s advice for the current Ohio swimming and diving team is to value friendship, embrace every moment and overall, just have fun with the sport and everything that it offers.
During Hobel’s tenure, she became the third-highest MAC champion in conference history. She was a five-time MAC and OU school record holder, as well as a four-time First Team All-MAC honoree. Hobel went undefeated at the MAC championships in her main event, the 200 backstroke. The 2001 MAC Senior Swimmer of the Year was a three-time Academic All-MAC member, as well as a recipient of the MAC Commissioner’s Award and the MAC Presidential Award. Hobel was a Senior Nationals qualifier from 1997-1999 and an Olympic Trials qualifier in 2000.