When local swimmer Meghan Zimmer heard the news that she was going to compete in the Olympic trials, the first thing she thought was, “I finally made it.” Zimmer missed her chance at the trials in 2004 and 2008, but never gave up her goal of going to the Olympics.
“I’ve been training for so long,” she said. “I’m both nervous and excited for the experience.”
Coming from a long line of swimmers, she seems to be predestined for success. Her grandparents, mother, and aunt were all accomplished in the water.
Zimmer will be competing for a spot on the 2012 USA Olympic Team starting June 25 in Omaha, Neb., swimming in the 200-meter freestyle.
“I’ve definitely dreamed of this moment since I was 10,” Zimmer admitted.
Often referred to as “the fastest meet in the world,” the USA Swimming trials is a monstrous challenge. According to Santa Maria Swim Club head coach Mike Ashmore, the third-place time is fast enough to win a medal at the Olympics, and only the top two contenders in each event will get to go to London.
Zimmer has been a member of the SMSC since she was 8 years old, and competes during the school year for San Diego State University on an athletic scholarship. According to Ashmore, she was the Mountain West Swimmer of the Year in 2010 and still holds many of the women’s records at SMSC.
Ashmore has been coaching Zimmer for 14 years and said that one of the things that makes her a tremendous swimmer is her unwavering determination.
“She persevered and never gave up,” he said.
Ashmore said he’s looking for Zimmer to move up in the rankings; she’s currently at 120 out of 130 girls. But no matter what happens, going to the Olympic trials already counts as a success.
Zimmer is currently swimming twice a day and training 20 hours a week before departing for the 10-day trip to Nebraska. Zimmer said she’s lifting weights, swimming a lot of yards, and doing what she can to stay strong. She’ll soon begin training seven days a week.
When she’s swimming, Zimmer said she spends a lot of time thinking about what she needs to do to succeed and pushing herself harder. However, she wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for a little extra pushing from her mom and coach.
“I had foot surgery last year and I was pushed to insane limits,” Zimmer said. “I wouldn’t have got through it without Coach pushing me every day, showing me how hard work pays off.”
According to Zimmer, her mother has always been a constant, positive show of support and motivation throughout her swim career.
A long way from her days at Pioneer Valley High School and entering her final season of swimming at San Diego State, Zimmer said she’s studying to go into coaching. Double majoring in history and social sciences, Zimmer was offered a volunteer assistant coaching job by her SDSU coach.
Accompanying Zimmer to the trials will be fellow SMSC member Josh Prenot, who just signed a letter of intent with UC Berkeley. Prenot is ranked in the top 10 of his events and will have to compete against such champions as Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps.
Zimmer ultimately wants to walk away from the trials knowing she did everything she possibly could.
“My goal is to make my best time, and to not get nervous and choke,” she said.
This article appears in Jun 14-21, 2012.
