Torri Huske is on a mission. The teen sensation is focused on getting to the U.S. Olympic trials in the right mindset and the right physical shape to have a breakout performance.
While she’s had breakout performances in the last year, this meet is unlike any she has competed in before.
But for Huske, the key is to keep the mindset that Trials is like any other meet. That will keep her focused on her routine instead of the magnitude of a chance to reach the Olympics in multiple events, particularly the 100 butterfly.
“I try not to think about it too much, to be honest,” Huske told Swimming World. “It is weird to think I am in the mix at all. I have a routine that I always do, and that is stable to rely on. I feel like my coach keeps asking me if I am excited, and really not yet. I will be when I get there, I am sure. I know it is hard not to think about it, but I really just don’t worry about it until I am there.
“I am obviously a little nervous, but I feel like everyone is. It is something feel like would almost never come.”
But now that Trials is finally near, Huske can’t help but admit that she is starting to show a little emotion, even if it is about the sport itself rather than what’s at stake at Trials.
Torri Huske; Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble
“I have never been so excited to start taper,” she said. “I have been so beat down and tired, but I feel like I am in really good shape right now.”
That attitude is going to pay off for a teen in the mix for an Olympic spot. Over the years, many teen sensations have been overwhelmed at Trials, overthinking things out of their control and suffering in the pool.
But Huske is excited to be a part of the meet and see the sport at its best, especially with the rise of so many of her fellow teenagers in the last year.
“I think it is super exciting,” she said. “You see (the sport at its best) and the future of swimming, all of these new people swimming fast. That is exciting to see. Whenever I see people swimming fast times, it gets me more hyped up to swim. It is exciting to be with so many well-known names and be mentioned with them at all.”
Huske has looked up to, and been able to meet, swimmers like Maya DiRado, Dana Vollmer and Kelsi Dahlia in the past. Those turned into little moments of inspiration — especially racing against them.
“It gets me hyped up to race fast people, especially when they are so well known,” Torri Huske said.
Huske, a NAG record holder from Virginia who is headed to Stanford next year, has been on a tear this year, putting together some of the top times in the country. Her best event is the 100 butterfly, but she has been as fast as 53.46 in the 100 freestyle in 2021. She is qualified for Trials in the 100 and 200 fly, the 200 IM, and 50, 100 and 200 free events.
Huske plans on entering all of the events and will base which ones she swims off of how she’s feeling and performing in Omaha. She’ll start it with the 100 fly on Sunday, the opening day of the meet.
“We will play that by ear,” she said. “I am really looking forward to the 100 fly. It is the first day, which is kind of crazy. I am not used to swimming that event on the first day of a meet. That is my most important event.”
Her signature event will set the tone for her week, where she could be poised for the biggest breakout of her career, especially if she manages to make the Olympic team that early and relieve the pressure.
While many swimmers dream of that from a young age, Huske has kept a level head and realistic view on her chances, which continue to get better.
“It was not my dream for a long time because I never thought it would happen,” Torri Huske said. “But the prospect of making it is really exciting.”
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