Laura Barclay/Gazette

In a dominant 101-47 win over the University of Toronto on Friday by Western’s women’s swim team, first-year science student Jennifer Trung won the women’s 100m backstroke final in 1:03.48, a gold in the women’s 200m medley relay and finished second in the 200m backstroke. Trung’s impressive time of 1:03.48 would have placed her in the final at last year’s CIS championships.

Because of her outstanding performance, the 17 year old was awarded with this week’s Purple Pipe. Trung took some time out of her day to sit down with the Gazette to discuss being a rookie, waking up at 4:40 a.m. and Wendy’s Frosties.

How long have you been swimming competitively and why did you start?

Since age 11 I think. My mom put me in ‘cause she was scared I was going to drown I think. She thought it was good exercise and it was just a fun thing to do.

What’s it like being a rookie for Western? Initiation?

The girls are really nice and friendly. I get along with them pretty well. It was intimidating meeting new people and being a rookie, but initiation wasn’t that bad. We had fun team bonding activities at the beginning of the season.

What does the team do to prepare for meets?

Apparently we have pasta parties before our meets. I guess we load up on carbs. To get into racing mode we do a lot more short sprints and stuff that mimics the race, so we work on our turns going to the wall and stuff like that. We practice our race strategy too.

How often do you practice?

There are different groups. I think I’m training nine times a week right now. On a Saturday we do a lot practicing and weights, so we’re there for hours. We do doubles [train twice a day] a lot. I don’t mind training. Sometimes in the morning it’s hard to get going, but for the most part it helps me with school stress and I feel better after practice.

What’s the atmosphere like on the team this year?

It’s really competitive. Because we have such a big rookie year, all of the girls are competing to get on the OUA team, and there’s only 18 spots. I think it’s good that it’s competitive ‘cause it brings out the best in all of us.

Being only 17 and competing against people that are several years older than you, how did it feel to win female swimmer of the meet last weekend against U of T?

I never really thought about it. I don’t know, I think swimming is different than most sports in the sense that most girls mature fairly early. They stop growing around 17, so age doesn’t have as much as a factor as it may for guys. The difference between a guy who’s 17 and a guy who’s 20 is huge. At nationals you’re still competing with adults because it’s open, so I’ve done it before. I don’t really notice age among girls. It’s a very mental sport though so age helps in that sense. We train a lot, and unfortunately you can’t do well in the sport unless you train as much as everyone else, which is a lot. So attending practices and focusing can be challenging mentally, and then it’s also a very challenging sport when your racing.

Any athletic role models?

Not really. I’m not a huge fan of Michael Phelps. There are definitely people I look up to though. Ryan Lochtey, but that’s not based on his swimming; it’s just ‘cause he’s good looking so it doesn’t really count (laughs).

Is your diet similar to Michael Phelps?

Okay I do not eat as much as him. I’ve had coaches tell me I should eat healthy, and I try to, but for the most part I just eat whatever I want. So if I want a Wendy’s Frosty, I’ll have a Frosty. I figure I’ll burn it off…or at least that’s the excuse that I use. I just kind of eat whatever I want; whatever makes me happy.

Describe a typical day in the life of a varsity swimmer.

It’s not really that interesting. We wake up to go to practice in the morning at around 4:40. Our practices are at 5:30. We train for about two hours, then go to classes, then a lot of the time in the afternoons we go back and practice for another two hours, do some homework, then go to bed.

Who’s the class clown on the team?

As a rookie I don’t really know most of the guys. A lot of the guys are really funny but I don’t really know them, so they’ll be telling a joke and I’m like laughing in the background. It’s really awkward actually. I think everyone’s pretty funny on the team, no major standouts.

What are your goals for this year?

I don’t like thinking about things too far away. I’m the type of person that takes it one day at a time. Some people are like “Jen are you going to be in the Olympics?” and I always say I’m just focusing on this year, what’s happening right now.