Anita Alvarez US Artistic Swimming

After you finish your routine, you usually come up surface and then you swim out to go get your score. And I remember surfacing and then kind of feel like all of a sudden everything starts to get a little dark. And then that's the last thing I remember. So I lost consciousness. I sank to the bottom of the pool because it was the solo event, so no teammates were around me. And then my coach reacted really quickly, which I'm very grateful for. She recognized something was off. And she dove in and swam down and pulled me out. Welcome, welcome, welcome, come on in. Welcome to the every four years podcast, an unofficial Olympic and Paralympic podcast. We travel the country. We talk to past, present and future Olympians and Paralympians. Their coaches, their families, these are their stories, their journeys, and we're just along for the ride. I am your host, Tim Putre. I am not an Olympian. No, not a Paralympian. I'm not even a journalist or an expert. I just love Olympians and Paralympians. They're great athletes, great people, and they have great stories. And that is what the podcast is all about. And if you're new to the podcast, welcome. If my voice sounds kind of funny, it's because I'm actually broadcasting from a closet in a hotel room. Long story short, I'm not at home. I'm actually working on location and this is the best place for acoustics. And I had to get this podcast done as soon as they can because my guest this week is at the Paralympics right now. Her name is Anita Alvarez. She's a two-time Olympian. Paris makes it three for the US and synchronized swimming and known today as artistic swimming. Anita's name may not be a household name right now, but if you follow sports, you'll remember a picture of Anita from 2022 at the World of the Quatic Championships in Budapest. Anita passed out during her routine and had to be saved by her coach. There's no video of this just still photos of Anita floating to the bottom. It's a harrowing image, but there's a silver line to this story. Anita is okay and now she's going to compete in Paris. I need to got worldwide attention for these pictures, but she's so much more than that. And that's why I wanted to talk to her. She's amazing. Her mother, her father, and her grandfather all have Olympic roots and she's at two-time Olympic aquatic swimmer, Fum Buffalo. What swimmers come from Buffalo? And if you're listening to this podcast when it first came out, you can watch Anita compete this week in Paris. Anita was so open. We talk about everything and mainly it's just me saying, "Here's the mic. Tell me your story." And she is so great. So without any further ado, here's Anita Alvarez on the every four years podcast. See, that's it. That's how the podcast starts. Just like that. Let me do a tease first. Let me do a tease on this. So we're going to learn about when you met Michelle Obama. We're going to learn about when your dad has coached two Olympians, but not in the sport they became Olympians in. And my favorite question, how was your grandpa connected to the 1980 US Olympic hockey team? Okay? So those are things we're going to ask. We're going to ask those. We're not going to find out those now. So we'll start with the question. We always start. Anita, what was your first Olympic memory growing up? Do you remember the first time you heard or saw the Olympics? I think my first, my first memory is from the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Ironically enough, this shirt is from 2008. Like I had it when I was a little kid. I probably have some from before that, but that's when I really remember like that first Olympic flame lighting in my soul. And I remember that was the first time I competed at age group nationals. And the 2008 Olympic team handed out our awards at the competition. And that was like the first kind of like intro to okay, meeting Olympians. And then I remember watching them on TV. And I remember thinking like doing the math and doing like okay. And the next Olympics, I'll be 15 in my 16th year. That means technically I could compete in the next Olympics. And that's one thing started to like just stir inside of me and really where it all began. So do you remember what you watched specifically gymnastics and synchronized swimming? It was called synchronized swimming at the time. Now artistic swimming. That's another question I was going to ask later because I always go with synchronized swimming. That was called artistic gotcha. What were you born and where you raised? Um, so I was born in Buffalo, New York. Ken Moore, Tonnewanda area is a smaller town. And that's where I grew up swimming for the Tonnewanda Aquets as a club name. Um, and actually my mom grew up swimming for that same club team and was a coach up until last year. Or actually she still helps out there this year. So it's been a long family tie there. And that's where I grew up swimming until age 16. You have any brothers and sisters? Um, I have one older brother. He just turned 30 and he lives currently was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I know, I know, I know it well. I used to live there myself. Are there any other athletes in your family? My whole family, tons of them, um, you know, huge athletic background family. My brother did tons of sports growing up. Golf hockey, swimming, baseball, my dad did baseball and boxing and coached youth sports at baseball and hockey throughout my childhood. And my mom also did synchronize swimming, growing up and through college and then became a coach in college and is still coaching today. So, well, let's not downplay your mom there for a second. Didn't she try out for the 84 Olympic team? She did. So at the time, um, they were duets. The event was a duet event. So she qualified with her duet partner and competed there. Okay, she didn't make the Olympic team. Did she? She was, she was, she was in the qualifying, but she got seventh. So she was the seventh best in the US. Yeah. Yeah. That's pretty good. Shout out to mom. Don't don't like oversee mom real. Actually, when did you start getting into organized sports? I think right away. I mean, I don't remember the first year, but I grew up doing tons of sports. I did softball. I did regular swimming, synchronized swimming, dance, gymnastics. I did like field hockey soccer, you know, I kind of do all those sports that kids do. And I think from the beginning, I always loved the team sports. Like those were always the ones that were my favorite and especially synchronized swimming because it's just like the most team sport that I've ever participated in. Well, let me go back. My niece Elizabeth always wants to ask Olympians and Paralympians. Did you do any other sports than the ones that you went to the Olympics or Paralympics for? So you did other sports growing up. Did those other sorts help you become a better for you? Sikernized swimmer. 100%. I say that all the time that I'm so grateful that my parents, you know, both being coaches in their sports. Like I did softball and I did synchronized swimming, but I also was able to participate in tons of other sports, which I'm so grateful that they kind of gave me those opportunities because I think one, it allowed me to try out a different, a bunch of different things and really find my passion, but it also helped me become such a well-rounded athlete. Like I feel so complete in those developmental years as a kid, you know, I was doing things on land running around. I was doing gymnastics, strength and flexibility work. I was in the pool like so many different movements and skills that my body was experienced with from a young age that I feel like that has helped me become a more well-rounded athlete, but also I've always said that artistic swimming involved so many different skills and different sports combined into one that I feel like it was just preparing me to for this, you know, sport in the end. When did you start doing organized artistic swimming? I joined the competitive team when I was nine years old and from five years old I started in like the summer and winter program. So not year round, but doing those programs where you had a couple competitions a year and you started working with the team. So I would say that was age five. And before that, you know, I was at the pool with my mom every day while she was coaching and so I was exposed to it from the beginning and I was, you know, sitting at practice every day while she's coaching, watching her team interact and train and just learning from watching at such a young age, you know, I picked up so many things about what kind of athletes, you know, but there are and what kind of athlete I hope to be in different skills and things that I would see and then try in the water. I remember always hearing from my parents that, "No, I'd go on my grandparents backyard pool and I knew my mom's teams routines." Like I would start doing them on my own, you know, or in the bathtub, like I remembered the choreography and I picked that up just from sitting at the pool watching every day and, you know, at that young age, I would be like performing them in the pool or in the bathtub or laying down on the couch with my leg up. So I thought that was cool because, you know, I was so young, but at the same time I was picking up so much just from being exposed to that environment from the beginning. When did you start realizing that you were good? This year? I think honestly, I think later than people realize, you know, other people realize it from a much younger age. I think probably from the first day that I started, my parents told me all the time that people were like, "Whoa, like how was she doing that already?" You know, she just started this year and I didn't see it at all. Like I remember, you know, watching my competitors who, in the end, I ended up beating, but watching them like, "Wow, she's so good!" And my mom turned me like, "You're good too!" Like, you know? And so I think it took me a while to really sink in, but I think probably like, I don't know, 13, 14, 15 age, you know, it was the year when I first moved up into those older age groups of competition and I started swimming up with the older girls. So I was 13, 14 years old swimming with, you know, seniors in high school. And that's kind of when I started to realize, like, "Okay, like maybe there's something here." But also, you know, I was like, "Never comfortable in that." Like, "Oh yeah, I'm so good. I don't need to work." You know, like it was, I feel like it was a cool mixture of like, "Okay, I'm starting to see it, but also, I know I can be better." So I kept, you know, kept wanting to be better. So yeah, I'd say around 13, 14, 15, I started to understand and then probably once I made my first national team, I was like, "Okay, I'm starting to make it." Well, you competed for the U.S. national team. You had the trials when you were 14 years old, correct? I qualified for like younger national team trials. So I was going to 13, 15 national team trials, junior national team trials and I hadn't made a team for a few years, you know, I would go and just kind of come short of making it. But then I qualified, you know, based off of past results, I qualified for the 2012 Olympic trials. And you know, I knew I was young and I hadn't trained in that environment at all yet, but for me and my coaches, it was kind of like, you qualified, you were getting this opportunity. Why would we not take advantage of that and get the experience? Like, I really didn't have any, um, and he hopes of actually qualifying. Like I actually didn't do the last part of the trials because I didn't prepare for it. But it was going for the experience and to support the organization, like, you know, I qualified and let's go and like show that I'm gonna, you know, put out the effort and get that experience. I was 14 at that first trials, first Olympic trials I should say. - Well, okay, so what did you compete in at those Olympic trials? What'd you do? - So it was where you try out individually. So I tried out, you know, I was trying out individually and they send you like the skills that you need to perform and the routine that you need to swim. So I kind of like learned from a video and I practiced that routine at home and then you travel there and you do it in front of the judges, you know? And it was a weird time too because the 2012 team at that time was pretty much training full time together just like I am with my team here. So I was kind of like one of the few odd men out who just kind of showed up like, hey, I'm here. You know, while the other girls had bends, swimming and training together and competing that routine that I was there trying out. So I remember it was really intimidating but I remember like a few faces and a few really kind swimmers who were just, you know, open to this random 14 year old showing up and super nice and just helpful for me during that week. - All right, I would have geeked out of fire. Did you geek out at anybody? Did you go up and get a picture with an autograph of anybody or did you play cool? - No, I think it was too shy. I, yeah, I wasn't that, I remember like seeing people and not even just the athletes on the team but even some of the coaches, right? Like you know, like a lot of the coaches around our country are past Olympians and past Olympic medalists. So I remember seeing some of them, like they're not swimming now, they're like from the 96 Olympics or 2004, 2008 Olympics. But I know them because I used to have posters of them hanging in my room or read the synchro magazines. So I remember like silently geeking out about them, like seeing these people for the first time and yeah, that was pretty cool. But I definitely didn't say anything. I was too, definitely too quiet and shy. - Who are you geeking at it? Who are you geeking at it? At 14, who did you see and you go, oh my God, that's. - I knew all the members on that current team, right? And it's funny because there's one girl, Maria Kourleva, who I actually ended up becoming do-up partners with in 2016. So it was like, you know, I didn't know her then but I just knew of her and knew who she was and she was gonna become the duet and she went to the 2012 Olympics but I had no idea that I would, you know, become her teammate and become friends with her and like still, I'm still connected with her today. So that for me is pretty cool. Just to see how that's happened. And now for me, to see how that's happening with teammates on my team now, like these young girls who are 17, 18, who I remember like at the 2016 Olympics, you know, I was at the same pool as them and they came up and got a picture with me and now they show me that photo, you know, and now we're swimming together as teammates and friends. So it's so cool to see that, like, how that carries over from year to year. - That is awesome. I love it. Well, help me out here. Let's talk about artistic or synchronized swimming. It was once called synchronized swimming and now it's called artistic swimming, correct? - Yes. - Okay, where does artistic swimming take place? - What do you mean by that? - It's in a pool, but like is an Olympic pool is a special pool? - So, I mean, artistic swimming can take place anywhere. You know, you can do it in your backyard pool. You can do it in an Olympic sized pool. We typically train in a deep pool, at least nine or 10 feet deep is the ideal depth for us 'cause we don't touch the bottom of the pool and we're not allowed to. We get a penalty if we actually touch the bottom of the pool. They have underwater cameras there, you know, and the judges review it to make sure no one's using the bottom. Our competition pool is about 30 meters long, 25 meters across maybe 30, and then it's at least nine or 10 feet deep. - So it is deeper than Olympic pool all around 'cause you're not allowed to touch the bottom. Is it a special pool or would you compete in the same pool as swimming at the Olympics takes place? - We can. Some events like we have world championships, sometimes in the same venue as swimming. I believe in Tokyo, it was the same pool as swimming as well. So it can be, but it's not always. Sometimes they have us in separate venues, but typically we can use the same pool. - Are there technical elements you have to have in your routine? - Currently the new system, we have three routines. So it's kind of similar to like figure skating, they have their short program and their long program, right? So we have our free routine, our acrobatic routine, and our technical routine. So the technical routine is like the short program, so to say, and they're required elements. That every single team will have to place inside that routine. And those are scored highly in the routine 'cause there are specific movements that you have to do that everyone will perform. The free program is kind of what it says. It's more free to do your own choreography. You can have more cool patterns and shapes and like mirroring movements. You don't have to all do the same thing and be perfectly synchronized the entire routine. And then the acrobatic routine is new. It says the first Olympics that it's gonna be in. And it's basically all about the acrobatic. So when we throw people out of the water, they do their flips and all the crazy tricks that have become much more advanced and much more popular, I guess, in our sport over the past few years, especially. So this one is all about the acrobatic. So it's like that and highlights. So not as much technical stuff besides the lifts. And the rest is kind of like create an artistic routine. That's like a crowd favorite. - So do you get a medal for each event or do all three events equal up to a medal? - Yeah, for the Olympics, it's only one medal. It's a combination of the three events. So for our sport and the Olympics, there's the team event which swims eight girls at a time or eight members at a time and the duet event, which swims two. There's only two total medals in our sport in the Olympics. There's the team medal and the duet medal. - And in each one, you have three events in each one. - The team has the three events and then the duet just has the tech and the free. So two. - And how long does each routine last? - Anywhere from like two and a half to four minutes, the technical programs on the shorter side, the free is just about four minutes and the acro is a little bit less than that also. So anywhere in the two and a half to four minute range. - Everything you do out there looks difficult to me. What is the most difficult thing you have to do in your routine? - Oh, so that's a good question. I think the most difficult thing right now with the new scoring system that's just been implemented over the last year is anytime we're upside down with our legs above water and we call those hybrids. So that's like the movements with our legs out of the water, right? Because now the difficulty in the movements have gone up so much and the amount of time underwater has also increased a bit. So I would say that's the hardest part because it's difficult physically, mentally. There's so much you have to be thinking about and that's of course when you're holding your breath. And with the new scoring system, there's the most risk in those elements. So every time our head is underwater and our legs are upright, there's a lot of pressure to do everything as it's supposed to be because if there's one minor mistake, for example, if you're supposed to do a 360 twist and you do just shy of 360, one, even just if it was one of the eight members, you basically get what they call a base mark, which equals like basically a zero on that whole part of the routine. So that's you losing like sometimes up to 70, 80 points from your score. So it can take you from fighting for a gold medal to not even making the final at like a world championships, for example, much more high risk, high reward in this new scoring system that just started this past year. What would a great score be, say for one of your routines? What's a great score and take off the 80 points for it? So what would it be a good score saying, hey, we're doing well, we're in the hunt. - For example, our free routine at this last competition, we got a 300, three something, maybe I'll say 345. - Okay, so then if someone messes up, you can go from 345 into the 200s. - Mm-hmm. - Wow. - Yeah, and that's only if it's once, and then within the routine, there are about seven, eight, nine, 10, 11 moments where that can happen. So imagine that it happens more than once. - And here's another question for you. So I'm underwater, my legs are in the air, I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to do. You get extra points for being underwater longer, or is it just doing the routine properly? - Right now it's just doing the routine properly. At some point, when they created this new system, they added that in as like a bonus. Like if you're underwater for a certain amount of time, it can be a bonus, but they took that away because we realized that's not the way we should be thinking. Like, you know, we should be trying to make the sport safe and friendly for everyone. So if you can do the moves faster and more efficiently, and still have the high difficulty, that would mean you're technically better. So you don't get any bonus anymore for staying under longer, and it's on you to learn how to be more efficient with your movements, to be able to do them faster and still get the same amount of credit, if that makes sense. It's a little confusing. - There's a lot to it, and thank you so much for telling us all about this. Is it true that you can hold your breath while you're doing these things, while you're whaling your legs, making sure that everyone around you is in sync, you can hold your breath for about 30 seconds at a time during your routine. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's not just one time holding your breath for that long. It's imagine like you have a four minute routine, you hold it for 20 seconds, then you come up for 10, you're under for 15, you're up for five, you're under for five, you're up for it. So it's about, it ends up being well over half of the routine that you're underwater, you know, way over half, I think actually, which actually another part of, you know, the things that are gonna be changing with the rules is that they'll be adding an apnea limit. So starting, I think next season, they're gonna create a limit. So you can't be underwater, your routine for more than, I don't know, say it's 70% of the routine, or 65% of the routine. They're kind of adding that limit to force us to, okay, you know, improve like your efficiency with your movements. Don't just make your swimmers, you know, choreograph the routines to be underwater for the entire routine. So I think that will be good for the sport. They added it to the younger age groups this year. Youth can't be underwater for more than 50% of the routine. Juniors, I think it's 60, and they haven't told us ours yet, but it's supposed to go into the fact next year, which will be a nice addition, I think. - How's coming up, you got the women's team, you got the women's duets, why isn't there women's solo at the Olympics? Yeah. So it was. It's been in the Olympics in the past, originally there was solos and duets and another event called figures actually. And then it's changed and now there's only the team and duet event. And I'm not sure why, you know, at our World Championships events, we have the team routines, duet, mix duet, which is a male and a female. They have female solos, they have male solos. So we have all the events at World Championships and our World Cups, but it's still not in the Olympics yet. So hoping for, you know, addition of more events soon. Make sense? Let's talk about the uniform, okay? You got your bathing suit. Think of it as, if you haven't seen it yet, think of it as figure skating. So it's nicer than a regular bathing suit. But you have to perform in it. It looks hard to be able to perform in that suit. And you have to be synchronized. You both have to look like twins when you go out there. You got to look like your whole team. And then you have makeup, which is a lot, you know, no other sport-esque. You got to put on makeup. Okay, maybe figure skating, but like what other sports do that? Also, I see a lot of people doing this. I don't know if you do. Do you wear a nose plug? So I grew up wearing one up until 2021. I trained myself to swim without one. And so I don't wear one anymore. How do you train yourself not to get more of your nose? How can that be? You're hand on it? You know, it's hold it like this. Okay. No, actually, you do like a block with your lip. Me and one other teammate on my team can do it. And we go like this. And then it just blocks the water. And then, you know, when we are upright, I like it because I feel like I can breathe so much better when I'm head up. Like I like to breathe through my nose and just feel a little bit more free. Where with the nose clip, like all day I felt like I could never get enough air, you know? And also, when you come up for air, I see this is crazy that you have to smile. You know, let go. You gotta smile. And while you're smiling, you gotta breathe in air, which must be very difficult. Actually, smiling sometimes makes it a little bit easier. I don't know if it's like a, you know, you trick your mind into thinking like you're comfortable and happy, but like I was talking about this with someone recently. One of the other things that people don't realize is when we're upright and we are getting to breathe, like we have to make it look like we're not tired at all. Like that's part of the job. So, you know, that's where the misconceptions come in where people think, oh, this isn't a sport. Oh, it's easy. Like, look, she's smiling. I'm like, yeah, like we're doing everything we can to make you think that we're not tired. But if you could feel what our bodies are feeling right now, like, you know, you would not be looking like the same that we are. So yeah, that's always a misconception because we're performers, right? We're entertainers as well as athletes. So, mixing that artistry and the athleticism, like you have to be a performer. So you have to put on a show for the judges for the audience because that goes into our score. The artistic impression is actually part of what we're scored on. Okay. The final thing I got to ask about uniform, artistic swimming, what's with your hair? So, this only surprises people. I'm like some people see the sport, but they never even know that we do this. So, we don't wear swim caps, swimming compete, and we don't wear goggles, which is another challenge. Like, we train all, you know, with goggles and then we have to just take those off, now we can't see. But with the hair, we basically put it up kind of similar to like a ballerina bun, right? Like nice and tight and pulled back. And then we put gel in our hair and not just normal hair gel. We do on flavored gel. That's what it is. Like, nox gel, it's in that you buy from the grocery store to make, I don't know what do you make with it like cheesecake or something. We buy nox gel, it's in from any grocery store. You mix the powder with hot water. And then it kind of like becomes this gel, like material, or whatever you want to call it. You like paint it on your hair basically. I do it with my hands, some people use like a paintbrush. And then it hardens, and it becomes like this outer shell. And it basically just kind of holds your hair in place. So while you're swimming, you know, hair's not falling in front of your eyes, and we also wear a headpiece, it's called. That matches our routine suit, and that will kind of go around the bun or on the head to decorate like the hair part of it. So, I know it sounds crazy. How long does it take to get that out of your hair? Not as long as people think. When I was younger, it was like this big drama, like, oh, I have to go take my hair out, and you would take a shower for like 45 minutes, and the next day go to school and still find like clumps of it in your hair. But now it's like, I don't know, I feel like it's pretty easy. You just take a warm shower, and it melts right out. So that part isn't as hard as people think. What does it taste like? Well, my whole life, I've used the nox on flavor gelatin, but my coach, she actually has her company. It's called Synchro lovers. She has a lot of different products that they sell. And one of the things that her and her husband, like, created, is pre-made Synchro hair gel. It's the gelatin, but they put like essential oils in it and stuff. So it has a scent, because the original one that you buy from the grocery store, like it's notorious for just smelling terrible. Like it's the worst smelling thing ever. And like as a kid, like you have your towel wrapped around you, and your mom is like doing your hair, and it's dripping on your face, and it smells bad. So with this product that they made, it's, you know, it's pre-packaged. So all you have to do is either put it in hot water, or put it in the microwave to 10 melts, and then it also smells nice. So there's like, Bollini's flour, or rose, or vanilla coconut. So we get to like pick our, I say, flavor, but I guess it's more scent every time. It kind of looks to me, you know, like when you have an ice cream sundae, and they used to put that stuff on, that would be hard, the hard shell. It's like that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, just like that. Like it's like, it's liquid, you know? And then all of a sudden, it just like hardens. So I usually do like a layer, and then I'll use the blow dryer, hair dryer, and put it on for a little bit, and then you'll just see it kind of like harden and like start to shine. It's like a helmet. If you do it well, it's like, I'm going to try this in my beard. My Santa beard. I gotta try that. I wanted my mustache to hold up the, like that's interesting. It's good for your hair, because it's like, you know, it has the protein, and all that stuff. People go and get those hair masks. And yeah, I think it's good for you. I think this is awesome. And remember, you can watch, this is a great sport to watch live, but it is going to be so much better on TV. It's going to be on the peacock network on NBC. So if you have that streaming service, you get to watch it. And why I like it better than live is you get to see under the water, and you see how hard you work during the routine. And that's really important. Yeah, they just added that underwater camera view. I don't know which Olympics, maybe two Olympics ago. And I remember, like, I've heard so much feedback from outside people who don't know much about the sport. And they're like, you know, I really didn't understand the sport before. But I decided to watch it this summer, because I knew you and whatever. And they're like, and my mind is just blown. Like, I didn't understand it. But now, like, you see what's happening under the water? I'm like, mind blown. And it's so true, because like I said, you know, we're trying to make it like effortless above water. Make us look like we're just standing on the bottom. Right? Like, we don't want to show any levels. Like, we're trying to be level in the water and smooth and effortless. But then if you see what's happening under water, it's like the chaos, you know, of your legs working insanely hard, or your arms, or, you know, when they're in team, you'll see the constructions of the acrobatics that I was talking about. And the way that we kind of set that construction up underwater. And again, not touching the bottom kind of have to act as a floor for the flyer. But also like give all of our power to throw them out of the water. So it's a pretty, pretty cool thing to see underwater. That's new in the sport, but has brought a lot of attention to it. I think it's so awesome. Just what you were talking about, the new, what do they call a new one that you're only going to be doing this Olympics? What is it called? Acrobatic routine. When you go to see the acrobatic and these ladies shooting out of the water, and then you're thinking, well, they were on the bottom. Like, do you, but you're not on the bottom, not allowed to touch the bottom. You just got to, and I couldn't even imagine lifting some weights underwater. And then coming up for air, you're doing it all in the water. So I'm looking forward to seeing this so much. Let's go back to the Olympics. 2012, you didn't go to London, but you did make the RIO team competing in the duets. Who was your partner? So my partner was Maria Corleva, who was also a 2012 Olympic Olympian. And that was the one that you met when you were, yeah, that's so cool. Let's go. I love the Olympics. I love the Paralympics. But my favorite part is the opening ceremony. Can you walk me through your day of the opening ceremony at the RIO 2016 Olympics? So here's the thing. I've never been to an opening ceremony. What? This is going to be my first one. We're going this year in Paris. And I'm so excited. It's going to be different. It's going to be very cool because it's on, you know, in the water on boats. So I'm going to miss what everyone talks about, which is like that moment of walking through the tunnel and out into the arena. We didn't get to go on 2016 because our competition is always towards the end. So we weren't even in the country yet. I was in Puerto Rico for a training camp before the RIO games. And then in Tokyo, I was sitting at home in California, watching it on TV. So very sad. I think Tokyo, I had said before going. I was like, I'm going to the opening ceremonies or I'm quitting, you know, joking, of course. But then COVID happened and, you know, we couldn't really make it work. Well, let's go back to Rio first. We'll get to Tokyo in a second. You can go to the opening ceremonies, which is my favorite thing. And we'll go together one these days. It's very cool. You'll love this. They're awesome. But you competed. You finished ninth in a duet, which is not bad for your first Olympics. Do you have any, do you have a favorite memory from the Rio Olympics? So many. I think one of the things that really sticks out of my memory, like I can just picture the competition days at the pool. And I had already competed in that pool a few times. Like it wasn't, you know, a new stadium for me. But still walking in there, like once we arrived for the Olympics, it was like, it was like, it was the first time I'd ever been in there again. You know, with all the, like, Olympic rings around all the cameras and everything set up, it's just a different vibe and energy in the air. And I remember being super nervous before the first day of competition. Like, we were towards the end of the duets. Because they go one at a time and we were towards the end. So we had to wait for so long. Like, we had our warm up and then we were just like sitting around waiting. And I was like, this cannot go by any slower. You know, I like listened to a whole playlist or whatever and was just waiting. So I remember feeling like so nervous. I was like, I don't know. But also excited. I was like, I don't know if I want to like cry, pass out, throw up. I don't know. Like all of it, you know, like everything's just, I just want to go and swim. And I remember walking out and my family was sitting in the stands kind of right in front of where we were walking out. And that was like the coolest feeling, you know, because they've supported me, you know, my entire life and have just sacrificed so much for me to get to this point. And, you know, me living that Olympic experience was so special. But then getting to live it with me was like, "Wow, it just made me feel so happy "because to see them having the best time of their life "and also just being able to be there and support me "when I had been on the other side of the country "training for years now." That was just really cool. And something that I just have this clear image of them standing there with the flags and their shirts and getting to celebrate with them afterwards. Everyday seeing them from afar and then finally when it was over getting to just see them and hug them and celebrate with them and hear all their crazy Olympic stories as well. - That's what it's all about. That's really what it's all about. And then you get to bring them through the village, did you get to bring them through the village? - I didn't. I don't know. I didn't even know how that worked at the time, but there was like a USA house that's called that they have. So I was able to go there with them. Like they got passes into the USA house and it's like a really cool fun place where you get to free food and drinks and you get to watch like they'll have sports playing on the TV and just interact with family and friends during the game. - That was a really cool thing. - That is a cool thing. Four years later, 2020 Olympics in Tokyo delayed. How did the 2020 delay affect your training? - Yeah, so that was a crazy time. We were on our way back from France competing right before the borders, before everything shut down basically. And we were preparing to, we had one more competition and then we had our Olympic qualification event. So this time, you know, I was going in the duet but I was also hoping to qualify the team for the first time for our country since 2008. So all the momentum was building up. We had an amazing competition in France and then we came back home and all of a sudden we heard, you know, things are shutting down. Immediately, like the first thing that our coach thought was like, I'm going to look into an Airbnb that has a lot of rooms and a pool so we can keep training, you know? And we're like, yes, yes. And then other people were like, uh-uh, like I'm going home, you know, I'm going to go see my family in Boston or Florida or wherever. And so then we realized like, okay, this is actually more serious than we thought. Let's all go home and we'll stay connected and make a plan. So we went home and, you know, we had some talks, especially once, well, I guess we started with Zoom training every day. So we started, you know, logging into Zoom every morning, 7 a.m. just like we would at the pool with our team and we would start with all the different types of workouts. The strength and conditioning type workout to core, to flexibility. We even tried to like imitate stuff in the water. Like, we're like, okay, put, you know, like socks on your hands and do the sculling motion on your table like to train the same muscles and we have these yoga headstand little contraptions so we could go upside down and do like all the leg movements and like during the workouts, like, okay, hold your breath now. Okay, breathe, hold your breath, you know, like trying to, because it's a sport that's so unique and hard to train that exact feeling out of the water. So we got so creative with how we can do that. And then at some point, you know, they announced officially the Olympics were going to be postponed. And so we had, you know, it was a really kind of sad crazy time and we decided to have a meeting with the team and like, okay, do we want to keep training now or do we want to take a break and once things, you know, get settled, we'll come back together and we kind of decided to stay connected. So we continued logging on to Zoom every single morning Monday through Saturday, I think, 7 AM. And it was like a long day. It was like a five, six hour training on Zoom every single day, which, you know, sometimes you wake up like roll out at bed, click, like log on while you're changing out your pajamas. But in the end, it was, I think it was really special for our team and it brought us closer because, you know, we were able to stay connected in such a difficult time and kind of keep our eye on the prize, right? It's easy. And I've heard from a lot of athletes who really struggled during that time to stay motivated, you know, on their own, being individual athletes or whatever it is. And for us to have that community and that team unity during that time, I think was really special for us. And yeah, so we trained on Zoom for, I don't know, three months. Was it, or I don't even know, three months until the pool opened again. And then we started training, you know, back at the pool because we thought our Olympic qualifier was coming up soon. And then it was like, okay, our Olympic qualifier got pushed back a month. Okay, got pushed back a month. So every time we were like just arriving to that moment, it kept getting pushed back. So it was like, our training was just out of control because we were like trying to peak for this moment. So our training's building, building, building, oh, it's delayed. Okay, we just did all that training for nothing. Okay, build, build, build, oh, delayed. Okay, it was mentally, it was, and emotionally, it was a really tough time. But again, having a team, I'm super grateful for it because I made it, I made it that much easier to have each other to lean on and, you know, stay motivated to wake up and go to the pool every day, for and with. What event were you going for? Are you going for the duet or are you going for the team? I'm hoping to go for both. So I was training in the duet and the team. We still had to qualify at that Olympic qualifying qualifier event that was coming up. So we didn't know if we were gonna qualify the team yet. The duet had a better chance, but the team, there were only three remaining spots and there were five really good countries, really strong countries, five or six actually fighting for those three spots. So the goal was both. In the end, it was just the duet. Our team just came short of qualifying, missed it by 0.2. So 0.2, which when I talk about, you know, losing 80 points earlier in our conversation in one element, like that kind of just shows you the perspective of how small 0.2 is, you know. So that was devastating, especially for my teammates and, you know, for my duet partner and I to go without the team, but against till grateful unfortunate that we were able to to qualify with the duet still. And who was your partner? My partner in Tokyo was Lindy Schroeder. How does that work? Do you usually stay with the same partner for years? Do you switch around? Do you find the ones that work best for you? How does that work? It's different for every country. Ideally, it would be best to stay with the partner for several years, maybe multiple Olympics. You know, you'll look at some other countries and they're training with their twin, like literal twin sister. So, you know, there's a bit of an advantage there. They've been swimming together since they were born. It's definitely ideal to stay together for longer. In the past 11 years that I've been on the team, I've probably had like 10 duet partners over the years just because there's been so much turnover in the teams and they've tried a lot of different pairs. So yeah, it hasn't really been ideal for us to at-wise, but at the same time, you know, I feel like I've become a stronger athlete because of it, because you learned from each person, right? If you're with the same person all the time, like yes, you guys improve a lot as a pair, but having to work with different duet partners, I feel like I've grown so much more because I've learned so many different things from each one, which has been cool. - So, you're going to Tokyo 2020 or 2021, but it's different from Rio, no family, no fans. What are your memories from that? You didn't go to the opening ceremony, and it was also different because once you did your event, you're out of the village. They only wanted you during your event or you had to leave right away. So, what are your memories from Tokyo compared to Rio? - Very different. You know, like I said, one of my favorite memories from Rio was having my family there. And in Tokyo, it was not only was my family not there, but nobody's family was there. And nobody, no fans or anything. So, it was such a weird eerie feeling, like walking out onto that stage and you could literally hear, like I could hear myself breathe. And I think like the judge could probably also hear me breathe, you know, 'cause it was so quiet. And I remember like, the whole thing being a little bit different because even in the village, like every morning, you have to wake up and do a COVID test, like spit into this little tube and go drop it off. You have to wear a mask everywhere. In the dining hall, it's like you're separated by plexiglass, even from like my teammate who I'm roaming with, you know? I like have to like talk over the thing like this to have a conversation while I'm eating a meal. And on top of that, like you had this fear every day of like, I wanna like socialize and meet people and talk to other athletes, but at the same time, I'm like, everything we've gone through, like I don't wanna risk getting, you know, COVID and getting pulled from the competition. So it's like you have to like, I don't know, like figure out the boundaries there and also like not get too stressed and anxious about it because it could easily have like, you know, knocked us out mentally if we were just like worried about getting sick the whole time or things like that. - If there wasn't enough pressure on you, now you had to worry about like talking to people. - Yeah, it was crazy. It was such a crazy time. - Let me ask you this. Did you run into a situation where they grab you and they go, hey, you were around this person yesterday, you gotta be tested again because that person tested positive? - It didn't happen to me luckily, but like I heard one of my friends, he was on the plane ride and when we arrived in Japan, like you have to test and wait in the airport for hours. And I remember he tested negative, but someone who was in the same row or one row in front of him tested positive and because of that, he had to be quarantined for a few days and like, you know, it took away that experience for him because he was like out of the village and like leading up to competition didn't have an ideal training environment. So I was like, wow, that's, you know, crazy 'cause it's not even someone in your party or anything, it's just someone ran a person on the airplane, happened to arrive and test positive and now you are this close to being out of your competition. - That's crazy. Tokyo 2020, duet, you got 13th place, not bad, you know, it was a crazy time. So just even competing there was amazing. Now you're at two time Olympian, you got two Olympics under your belt and I always ask Olympians and Paralympians this question. 96, I went to my first Olympics. It was a plan for like a year before you had to buy a ticket stock a year before, hotel and everything and me and my buddy Joe went, we had a great time. It was amazing, but a couple of weeks afterwards I call him and I go, hey, how you doing? He goes, I'm okay, I go, yeah, me too. I don't know what's up. And we figured out we weren't athletes in any imagination, but we were kind of depressed because like it was over. After the Olympics, have you ever come home and had any post-Elympic depression? And if you did, how did you deal with that? - Yeah, after 2016, I definitely did. And maybe not right away because the like hype of everything lasted longer after the Olympics. Like I remember returning home and then you got to celebrate with family and then going to a bunch of events and our USA week and White House visit. So things are still happening after the Olympics. And then it was kind of like this point after that that all of a sudden I was like, hmm, everything's over. Have everyone's moved on. Like, you know, and you were just such like this high for so long and being in that like bubble at the Olympics. Like everything is just surreal and you know, you're with the best of the best in whatever sport they do from all the different countries. like it's just you're in another world. It's you know, and then you come home and you're like, oh, okay, like that was really cool, but you know, like now what? Or you know, there are either the thoughts of like, okay, now what? Or there's like the, you were just so happy that like you just want to go back, you know? So I definitely hit that point. And you know, as I mentioned to you earlier, like I still didn't know what I wanted to do. Career-wise, school-wise, I was fresh out of high school, competed in my first Olympics, which I thought wasn't gonna happen this soon in my life. You know, I'm like, oh shoot, like now I've already accomplished that dream that I've been thinking about since 2008 or before or whatever, now what? You know, and I was still swimming and still training, but I was like, should I be? Like why am I, you know? And just like confused with like what was next and I didn't have a plan. And yeah, it was a tough time and I don't know, I think I found, you know, I didn't really understand the feeling of first, like you had said, like I feel a little weird and like you don't really know why or you don't really know, like I wasn't immediately like, oh, like I'm depressed or like, oh this is, you know, but that over time, like you start to realize it and you start to talk with your coach and other athletes and you start reading about it more, like they talk about it more in the media, I think more athletes are open about sharing their experiences, which I think is great because if you've never heard of that before or never heard of any other athlete going through that, all you see is like how amazing the Olympics are, all these amazing post-competition interviews and everything and you know, you don't realize that then reality hits afterwards and you know, if you're not ready for it or prepared for it, then you'll be confused and you'll be, you know, not sure why you feel so weird. So yeah, I definitely went through a time, I think 2016, '17, '18 was kind of in and out of it, like still training but also trying to find my groove in just in life and taking classes or you know, what else interests me outside of this sport because this has literally been my life, my entire life. And like I still love it, but also there has to be more, right? Like I have to find something else and so there's kind of that like back and forth between, I still love it, but also people keep asking me who I am outside of the synchronized summer, artistic summer and I don't know what to say, like, you know? So yeah, it was definitely a tough time and then I think, you know, going into Tokyo, I was aware of that more and you know, I knew how I wanted to approach the Tokyo games and enjoy every moment of it, but also also have things still forward to afterwards. And then when you come out of it, it's like, okay, I'm looking forward to starting this job or to going home to visit my family or to go on this trip or whatever it is or to train for world championships next year. So kind of having my vision, you know, staying present but also having something to look forward to post Olympics because you know, that moment isn't gonna last forever. - No, no, it's not. And thank you for sharing that because more athletes, finding out this from more athletes is so important to me because it's something that everyone goes through. And I wasn't in your athlete, I went through it. And so thank you for sharing that. Now you're looking for four more years down the road, Paris 2024, but you hit a little speed bump on the way. Can we talk about the speed bump you hit? - Which one? - Okay, I'll lead you into this. I'll lead you into this. It was June 2022, you were competing in the Athena World Aquatic Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Can you walk me through what you were doing and what happened? - Yeah, so it was already a crazy season. I had actually broken my foot and had to go through a foot surgery earlier in the season, which took me out of competition for a little bit. And I decided to keep going and try and make the recovery for in time for world championships. So I was competing at the world championships in team event, the duet event and the solo event. So I was on, see, it was day five. And I was on event number seven of the competition week. And you know, I go in to swim my solo free final and I'm having an amazing swim, like enjoying it more than I have in a long time. Being taken out from competing for a while with the foot injury kind of gave me a new sense of like appreciation for every moment that I have to compete 'cause I never know when that was gonna get taken away, right? So first time in a long time able to really enjoy the competition swims and be more present with them too, not just so focused on my corrections and doing the best I can. And but like actually like, I love the sport because of the movement, the freedom of movement and everything else that it brings me joy wise. So really leaning into that and like enjoying it. I was in flow, right? And my swim and felt strong through the end. And you know, after you finish your routine you usually come up surface and then you swim out to go get your score. I sank to the bottom of the pool 'cause it was the solo event. So no teammates were around me. And then my coach, you know, reacted really quickly, which I'm very grateful for. She recognized something was off and she dove in and swam down and pulled me out. And then you know, medical attention was there waiting for me. So swam into the side of the pool and I was still out for a bit before I came too. And yeah, a very scary situation for everyone there who witnessed it. And you know, I remember coming back to and all of a sudden I started like feeling like I started to feel again, right? So I started to feel like everything was just hurting. My muscles were aching. I remember just being in like the most pain I've ever felt. And then all of a sudden like my brain and my thoughts start coming back too. And then I realized like, oh, you're not breathing. And then I was just like, and I just like took my first breath. And then you know, then I opened my eyes and I saw my coach and our doctor and other medical people around me and kind of up in the stands right here where all of my teammates who were just cheering for me like leaning over sobbing, like crying and like, you know, just looking at me like so concerned. And I remember the first thing I said 'cause I knew my parents were gonna be watching from home, right? So I told my coach, like call my mom and tell her, "I'm okay, you know?" You know, at the time like it was a big thing but I didn't think it was going to blow up as much as it did because at the competition they have underwater photographers. And we usually get a lot of really cool shots during our competition of like the underwater part of it, right? So this photographer captured the moments of me thinking, my coach swimming in to get me. And I saw it blow up like online. The neck, no, even the same day or the next day especially. And now it was like, whoa, that's crazy. You know, like this is like, didn't feel real at first and then it started to like get more and more and more and I'm getting like 10,000 new followers in one day and I'm like, what what's happening? You know, like it's literally on every news outlet friends from Europe are sending me like, oh, you're just on my newspaper, you know, while I was at the grocery store. My friend was at the gym and he like took a photo of the TV screen and he was like, that's you? Like, are you okay? So it quickly blew up in the media just about the incident that happened and also about like what was portrayed in the photo. Like people took, you know, the photo and made it into something completely like it resonated with people in other ways that I had never imagined. You know, just just the idea of, you know, like someone who sees you struggling and knows you better than anyone else and knows when it's time to like come in and save you or like people kind of had their own ideas of what that photo of my coach like swimming down reaching for me and me like kind of down at the bottom of the pool and what that meant to them. And you know, I saw like artists started tagging me in like paintings that they were doing or someone had it like tattooed on their body kind of like a geometric figure of like the same thing. It was crazy and it was also like a lot because I'm, you know, a very like for the most part, like a very private part. Like I don't share everything with everyone, you know? So it was like something so like close and personal about like my health and like this kind of thing that happened and it was just like everywhere, you know. - Well, let me ask you a couple, thank you for sharing by the way. First of all, who is your coach? - So my coach is Andrea Fuentes. She's a Spanish Olympian, Spanish Olympic medalist who I actually grew up watching on YouTube. - Which is crazy. I saw an interview with her and she said, your jaw wasn't moving so she was working on your jaw and then she was trying to wake you up. Did you hear her or feel her trying to wake you up? - I don't remember any of that. No, I remember. So when I woke up and came to, you know, like I took my first breath and then I remember seeing like the doctors start to put like a face mask on me, like the breathing mask. - Oxygen. - Yeah, yeah. And I remember like, you know, waking up to that and then like, like hitting them off, like get the mask off and like that's like, I started like yelling to like get the mask off of me. And that was the first thing I remember. I don't remember hearing or feeling anything. But I remember like when I first came to then like hearing hearing Andrea in my ear, like kind of holding my hand and telling me everything's okay. And you know, you're outside at this pool. So it was like a beautiful day out. So she's like, you know, look up at the sky, like look at the beautiful sky. And the swimmer after me was already competing and she had this like beautiful solo music. It was like birds and like just like a nice calming voice and she was kind of telling me to like, like breathe. You're like, you're okay. Everything's gonna be okay. Like look at the sky. Listen to the music. Like kind of just keeping me calm. Cause you know, anyone who wakes up and doesn't know what happened, like could freak out. So she was having her voice there kind of just to keep me calm was was very nice. - Hey, shout out to coach Andrea. She saved your life. I had a couple of more questions if you don't mind. Aren't there light arts on duty at this pool during events like this? - Yeah. So that was that was a big like controversy with it all too. As some people were like, why wasn't the life guard in sooner and all this stuff and you know, they're there. But also they don't know the sport that well. Maybe we should have life guards who you know, are more familiar with the sport because you know, we're constantly up and down and they probably don't know if immediately, like if I'm supposed to be underwater or not. So I've heard other people say that there's actually a rule for our sport at that level that they can't dive in until the referee blows the whistle and tells them to. I don't know if that's true or not, but that's something else that I heard. (laughs) - Yeah, so he dove in later once Andre had me at the service, he kinda came and helped her pull me out, but yeah, definitely, the reaction speed was a little bit faster from Andrea. - And I'm thinking like, well, couldn't you have just someone, you know, with a goggle and a snorkel on the other side, just watching and then see you, because it was a few seconds, 'cause by the time, you went under, you had to sink all the way, would you say 10 feet down before someone noticed it and think that Andre did? - Yeah, exactly, and yeah, they should, like, you know, in high diving, in the sport high diving, when they're diving from way up, they have like scuba divers in the water on standby, 'cause every time the diver enters the water, they have to come up and say like, "I'm okay, I'm okay," to tell them like, that they're good. So yeah, I think that's, wouldn't be a bad idea, but I think now they are also, you know, my incident made the organization way more aware in making sure that they have lifeguards ready and trained, and yes, we are Olympic athletes, but anything can happen, and we are pushing our bodies to the limit, so that doesn't mean that it won't happen to us, you know, we know how to swim, but again, we're pushing our bodies, so anything can happen, and they need to be alert and ready, you know, ready to jump into action. - 100%. This happened at the end of your solo free finals routine. I'm not trying to be insensitive whatsoever, but I really wanna know, how'd you do? - You know, that's the other thing is like, I did really well. It was the best placement that I've had in the solo event, actually in any event, in my career so far, I think I ended, I ended six in the tech solo, and then I think seventh in the free solo in the end? I think I might have to double check that, but I think that's correct, but that for me was like, you know, at the time, amazing, and it was so sad because no one was talking about that, like I still completed the routine, so I still got scores and everything, and you know, I had that accomplishment, but all people remember from that swim in that moment, obviously is the other side of it, unfortunately. - What I was meant to kind of met, what do I, it judges, what do I gotta do here? I almost died, come on. Come on, so what do I gotta do? And how long after the accident did you get back into the pool? - So I remember I was kind of on a bed in a room for a while, they wanted me to rest and all this stuff, and usually for us, after we compete at an event, it's really important for us to cool down or warm down, to just get in the water and like kick out our legs, so that lactic acid buildup isn't like insane. So for me, I was really important that I got back in the pool, and just like I didn't wanna do anything crazy hard, I just wanted to kick out a little bit, and so I remember going to the warmup pool after and asking my coach and doctor if I could get in, just to swim and kick out my legs a little bit, and so I did that, and then the next day, we were supposed to have, oh no, the next day was a day off, and the following day, we were supposed to have our free team final, so my plan was, let's rest tomorrow, make sure I'm okay, get cleared from the doctors, and one more event of the competition, and then I would be done, so yeah, the plan was to swim that free team final in two days, and I prepared, I showed up with my team, hair, slipped back, already to go, and then our team manager came over and told us that Fina had had a meeting and about the whole thing and that they were just qualifying me from the rest of the competition, like basically I wasn't allowed to swim, to compete in the rest of the competition. So that was really hard, 'cause the whole situation was already hard enough, right? I just wanted to end the competition on a good note with my teammates, like this routine was gonna be much easier than my solo routine because it was just an easier routine physically, and I had a lot more moments to breathe, so like I wasn't concerned at all about, you know, anything happening or anything going wrong, but ultimately they decided that it was better for me not to compete and to make sure that my health was okay and everything, so I remember being really upset, my team was really upset, and this was like already, we had already done our warm-up, like we were about to get in the water to do the last part of our warm-up before the competition, so it's very last minute to have to put in an alternate to swim in my spot, so one of my teammates, Eugene Chang, jumped in and took my spot for the final, and we decided to go strong and swim the team without me, and you know, it was another challenge that the team was kind of put into to be able to adapt quickly and it showed the strength of our team and the unity that they were able to pull it off such a last minute change, so yeah. - So you got back into water that day just to work out your legs, but I'm sorry you didn't get to compete. I know you, especially as an athlete that goes through something, you wanna get back on the horse as quick as you can. - Right, that was actually another thing too, was, you know, about me getting back into kick out my legs, like I wanted to cool down and take care of my body, but also I felt personally, I wanted to get back in the water as soon as I could not to do a crazy hard work out or anything, but because the water has been my home, like a safe place for so long, and after that incident happened, like I didn't want that to be a fear in my mind, or I didn't want that to be what I associate, you know, a pool with or swimming with or anything like that again, so I wanted to clear, kind of clear that that slate as quickly as I can, because it's been such a comforting second home place for me my whole life, and I didn't want to lose that, so I got back in, you know, to take care of my body, but also mentally to feel safe and sound in that environment, before moving on with the rest of that day, even. - And how are you doing now? - I'm doing great now, so we went through, you know, a lot of medical check-ins, just to make sure everything's okay and everything for the most part was great, and you know, a few levels that were maybe low in my blood work, some things with my diet and just recovery wise that we've kind of changed a little bit, but otherwise, you know, I think it was just a combination of so many things, you know, so, it was like the perfect storm, it was hot and sunny, like probably dehydrated from that day, that was my second event of the day, we competed free team in the morning, again, it was like my sixth event in five days, or seventh in five days, you know, the stress and pressure, obviously we're holding our breath, like so many things just happened, and I think it was just kind of the perfect storm that all, you know, unfortunately happened that day, and yeah, it was a long process to get back to training and competing, you know, without any doubts or fears from myself, my coaches, my teammates, my doctors, and even Fina for it to approve me, you know, back into competition was a process as well, just to make sure that legally I was okay, and all that stuff, I think I had my first competition back after Budapest was March of 2023. - Wow, that's a long time. - Yeah, I mean, that was like kind of, 'cause usually our fall winter season is, we're not competing much anyway. So it was the first competition back, but it hadn't gotten like officially approved until February, really, so yeah, it was a while, but it was also good to go through that process, right? To cross things often, for me to feel confident in, you know, in my body and in my health and everything like that, to know that I'm okay to do this, and you know, I don't need to worry about if I have a heart condition, or if I have any of those things, because we've ruled everything out, like we've done all the check-ins, and that kind of just gave that confidence to me, and hopefully my teammates and coaches, that it's not something we'll have to be worried about, every competition, right? - Thank you so much for sharing the story with me, 'cause I remember seeing the photos, I remember trying to find any news things I can about it, and there was no video, there's just photos. So there's still photos, and then your coaches talking about it, but like you're like, how, how did it happen? Like, no one could have grasped their minds around this, because this is an Olympic athlete, what happened is it like a heart condition, or is it something else, or what happened there? So she defined it really well, and talking to you now, knowing that you're okay, and that they did, you know, they checked out into the hood, everything's okay. So you got to go back and compete again, but thank you for sharing that with me, 'cause I think it was such an important story to share. - Yeah, thank you. - Are you ready for final questions? - I'm ready. - All right, you need to have final questions. What's your coffee order? - Ooh, okay, it changes a lot. Today I got a vanilla sweet cream cold brew from Starbucks, but sometimes I'll just go like simple, just a coffee, my mom bought me a curing machine last time she was here, so I just pop it in and just put a little bit of like creamer in it, or a cappuccino. Sometimes I'll just express so shot. Yeah, I always mix it up, but nothing crazy. You're like super fancy. - What's your motivational quote? - Oh my gosh. - I don't know. I have, I feel like I go through phases of so many. - Why am I blanking? Now that you're asking me. - We can come back. - Yeah, let's talk about that. - It's like playing family feud, past, we'll take the next one. - Phone to friend. - Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. What was that? What was your, what was your, what was that? Who wants to be a millionaire? - Yes, so yeah. - It is said you learn more from a loss than you do from a win. Can you tell me that loss in your career that made you a better athlete or a better person? - Yeah, I think currently speaking, my team was hoping to qualify for Paris this summer at the Pan American Championships in the fall in November. And we had really high expectations to qualify there. We had to win gold at Pan Am's to qualify. And we went into it very confident with a lot of work that had been behind it and we just fell short. I think even less than 0.2 that happened in 2021. So that was like a total heartbreak. We thought that was like the end. Like we thought that's it. This journey is over. We had one more chance to qualify at the World Championships in Doha in February of this year. So we decided to just go home, learn from the situation. Like, okay, what did we do that we can take and learn from and do better going forward? Like what was different in this competition that we did differently than the past competition when we were so successful that we need to change going into Doha's. It was something as simple as changing our mindset and staying focused on what we can control, right? So not looking at the outside competitors, not thinking about other team scores or difficulty, but only focusing within our team and We've been calling that the bubble sense, the competition where like stay in the bubble, stay in the bubble and sometimes people will come in and try and pop the bubble and be like, oh, did you see, you know, China's difficulty is this or this country is this and we are like bubble, bubble. So that has been something huge that we learned was like only focus on what we control. It's easy to look at other people and compare and it, but that's really not gonna serve us at all. So the more that we've stayed just head down in our team has made our team dynamic and everything build so much stronger and also like we just are going after that goal and like nothing's gonna stop us. No matter what comes in and we had a lot of really big challenges at the World Championships in Doha that were like almost pulling away that chance of the Olympics again and because we were in our bubble and we were so mentally tough as a team, you know, we had the most amazing competition ever and if you see photos from that qualifying event, it's just like amazing because we had great swims. We qualified in first place of the country's qualifying and we got two World Championship medals at the same time. So, you know, we had that really tough moment in Pan American Games. But from there we learned so much on, you know, on what to do going forward and it made that moment of qualifying months later that much more special because we went through those difficult moments and those moments are what shaped us into that super team that we were in Doha when we qualified on the World's biggest stage there. You know, so that was kind of like, you know, a mixture of team and individual things that I've learned from. But that was a huge one this season. Congratulations. You're going to Paris with your team in the team competition. Are you also going as a duet? I'm not going this year as a duet. I've decided to focus on the team event, which I'm super excited for, you know, competed in the duet before and it's been a goal of mine to help the US qualify a team and I feel like I have, you know, a specific role in the team this year being the only returning Olympian and having the experience that I have and I'm really excited to focus on kind of taking on a bit of a leadership role within the team and and giving everything to the team. Two other teammates, Megumi and Jamie are going to swim in the duet this year and I'm super excited for them and excited to enjoy the the journey as a team also. Who is the US's biggest competition in the team event? Let's see, with a new system, the new scoring system, it's anyone's game. That's that's the thing is everyone is everyone's competition because you never know. But at the most recent World Championships, China, Japan, Spain and the USA have been winning the most medals. So we've kind of been fighting each other back and forth in all the different events. So it'll be interesting to see what everyone shows up with in Paris and now that they're not separate events and they're combining the three to see who comes out on top. I'm still looking forward to this. Speaking of Team USA, let's go to your tmusa.com bio. Anita, let's start off with tell me about riding in an elevator with Michael Phelps two times. Okay, so this was in Rio and you know, we're in the athlete village. We have a whole building because Team USA is so big. A whole building is dedicated basically only to Team USA. So it's huge. There were like four plus elevators in this building. And one day I was going downstairs to recovery to get my PT massage and all of a sudden the elevator door opens for me to get in. And I'm like not really paying attention and then I look up and I see my friend who's a diver in the corner there and then I see Michael Phelps just giant man figure standing right in the middle of the elevator. And I was like, and then I like made eye contact with her. And I was like, and she was like, I know. And then I just got in and I was like, my heart was like, boom, oh, I was like, oh my gosh, you know, like to see him in person was, I don't know, so different than just seeing him on TV and everything. And again, I was still my shy, quite self. And I was like, do I say something? Do I not? Do it, do it. You know, we're supposed to, we're like teammates technically, but not really. And I think I was just so in shock that I didn't say anything. And then all of a sudden, like he got off or my floor, I got off. And then I was like in the PT room, like telling everyone about it. And I was like, oh, I just like ruined that opportunity. I'm never going to, you know, see him again. Next day comes and I'm in the elevator. Elevator doors open. There he stands and he comes walking in again, round two. And I was really about to say something this time or just like, you know, not necessarily like say I have to get like ask for a picture or something, but just like say, you know, congrats on amazing career, whatever it is. But he was about to go compete in his final race ever. And he had his headphones on, his big swim park on. And he was like in his zone. And I was like, I can't, I can't do anything to mess that up right now. You know, so I'm like, I'm just going to like appreciate this moment. And I think I snapped like a creeper photo from the corner. I was like a little selfie with him and just in the back. You think you did. I know you did. You did. You did. Okay, I like to see that sometime. You're a little creeper photo with Michael Pelz. But that's very nice. You did good. You did good. But then you went out after the Olympics and you met the first lady, Michelle Obama. And you had a different experience with her. Can you tell us about that? Yeah, yeah. So we had our team USA White House visit, which is every year, the Olympic team invited to the White House to meet the president, vice president first lady. So we're in line, you know, by sport. So us, it was just my teammate and I, Maria. And we walk in and you know, they're super nice. Like we give them hugs. And they're like, time has how congratulations and how they watched us. And they like did a little like thing like this. And then I go into hug, Michelle. And I like realize that I'm stepping on her foot, like mid hug. And I'm like, I remember hugging her and I'm like, I'm so sorry. I'm stepping on your foot right now. Because like, you know, you're already in the hug. Like, I can't move my foot now. And then she just kind of laughs. It's like, it's okay. Whatever. You're in mid hug with her. Yes. And she was like saying congratulations. And I'm like, I'm so sorry. I'm stepping on your foot. That was like the only thing I could say to her. You know, I don't think of you. You know, I think of you as such a graceful person. Not so clumsy. I know, right? My favorite thing on your bio. And I would want to talk to you about this. Since we first booked this, your grandpa has a great connection to the 1980 US Miracle on Ice Olympic team. What is it? So he was the official time keeper off Ice official during that famous Miracle on Ice Game. We grew up, again, a big sports family and growing up in Buffalo, New York like Ice hockey. It was very popular. Like, I grew up ice skating and my brother played hockey. My dad helped coach. My grandpa was very involved with USA hockey for a long time. And we watched the movie Miracle tons of times. And it wasn't until later, you know, that I really found out that he was a part of that. And I think I remember him like pretending before. Oh, yeah. Like, I'm in the movie. I'm right there, you know, even though it's not the real game. But yeah, that's super cool. And always a fun fact that I love throwing out there. Because, you know, having just that family tie with the Olympics for so long is so cool. And to be able to be a part of this Olympic experience in my own way, you know, just carrying on that family, I guess, traditions, I would say, is definitely special. Absolutely. When you hear Al Michael say during the Miracle on Ice Game versus Russians, five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? Yes. The time he is looking at the five seconds is your grandfather's. That's so great. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. That's crazy, right? And that clip, like gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. You know, every time it's like the anniversary of that game, I see a team USA or USA hockey post those clips. And it just gives me goosebumps. And for a number of reasons, from an athlete's side, like you get the feeling of that moment, right? But also knowing that I have like having that family connection there is really cool. Okay. So now you have three family members besides yourself with Olympic connections. Your mom did the trials in '84. Your grandfather was a time keeper in 1980. And your dad coached two Olympians, but not in the sports they became Olympians in. What did your dad coach him in? And what did they become Olympians in? So this was like a fun, like I was making my my athlete bio. And I was, you know, putting a bunch of things in. And my dad always makes this show like, Hey, you know, I coached two Olympians before. And like the first time I heard that, I was like, what are you talking about? You know, and then he's like, you, I coached you in softball, T-ball, when you were a kid. And then he was a baseball coach. So he coached a guy from my hometown in baseball also. But he went off to be a winter Olympian in hockey for Team USA. So yeah, he jokes like, oh, yeah, I coached two Olympians. Not in the sport that they became Olympians in, but I still did. I was like, yeah, you are what got us to that point. That is so cool. Hey, let's go back real quick to Michael Phelps. You said he had his headphones on. He's listening to music. Do you listen to music? The hype up? And what do you listen to when you're getting ready for a competition? I don't have like a specific, you know, a specific go-to song or anything. But usually like in my music, I like going times. Like I have playlists in my phone of like 2024 made a June, 2024, you know, June to July or whatever that month period is. Well, I'll like listen to the kind of the same stuff. So whatever I'm listening to at that time when that competition comes up, like that will be my, that playlist for that time. And then it's like, I don't know, for me, I connect like the music and songs that I hear to specific moments so much. So like I'll open my July, August, 2024 playlist and I'll play it. And for now on like I'm going to be thinking about the Paris Olympics or like I'll remember those moments of like pre-competition or whatever it is. So it always switches. I like, I like a lot of different music. Nothing that comes to mind, but like, like give me the song. Give me the song that you've been listening to. Maybe you were listening to in 2016 or 2020. Maybe there's something that comes up, you know? One that I think I'm right away for 2016. And this is like, it's not like a pump up song, but it's kind of like a, I don't know, soulful emotional song because it's rise up, rise up. It's called by Andrade, I think. And I remember there was like an Olympic commercial or ad with it. And then that became my alarm. But that was the song I used for my alarm. And the first thing is like, when you're broken down and tired. And so like every morning I would hear that, I'm like, yeah, I'm broken down and tired, but I'm going to get off because I'm going to the Olympics. You know, that was something that, you know, because I heard that every morning before training in 2016. And it was like part of like this really inspirational, like Olympic commercial or ad. Like when I hear that now, I think of like that time of the 2016 Olympics. And it like makes me want to cry because it's also like, you know, a very like kind of not sad, but like, I don't know, powerful heart-filled song, I guess. You won one mind? Yeah. I went to the O2 Olympics in Salt Lake and Creed song, "Can you take me high?" Yeah. So every time I hear that song, I think I'm watching ski jumping again. That's so funny. That's like what you remember hearing from. like watching the games. It was a commercial. It was a commercial. They were promoting it and they're showing all the Olympics and all the athletes. Like, yeah, so when I'm out there, it's just going through my head. When you take me and I'm like ski jumping. Yeah. And like, oh, just now it's stuck in my head every time I want to try to get it out, trying to get it out. I mean, if you have any celebrity crushes or any celebrities you like to meet, if they're over in Paris, maybe you'd like to meet them if they find out that you like them. I just started thinking about this yesterday. I just start up like I need to make a list of athletes that I know are going to be in Paris that I want to meet because I know there's a lot and then I, you know, you get lost in the games and you don't or celebrities. It could be a celebrity. Maybe you watched like, you know, a TV show you like like Game of Thrones maybe or, you know, maybe Ted Lasso. Maybe you have a, you know, and if you're over there, maybe you'll see in the USA house. Who would you like to meet at the USA house? Because maybe you'll walk in and they'll walk over to you. Oh, I know. Snoop Dogg. He's going to be there. Snoop Dogg. Yeah, because he's doing all that team USA, like media right now. So he's for sure he's going to be there. And my team, he's I've talked about it. We've talked about it. Joked about it a lot like waiting until he gets a meat Snoop dog. That would be pretty cool. Otherwise, I'm not like a big celebrity. Like, I don't know. I don't like watch a ton of things. I feel like it's more cool for me to meet like athletes like the men's basketball team. You know, it's a crazy good team that's going to be there. Well, here you go. Let's go back to Snoop Dogg. Here's what you got to do. You got your mix coming up, right? So we got to throw one of his songs on it on your mix. Okay. And then when you meet him, you go, I've been a big fan for years. Actually, you're on my mix and show him on the phone and he'll be like, Oh, she is a fan. It has to be like a song that not a lot of people know about, you know, not one of the like most famous songs too. So yeah, you're talking a deep cut. We need to find your deep cut. Good call. Well, maybe some people can help you find this deep cut. If people want to follow you on social media, where can they find you? Most active on Instagram. And it's just my name with an extra A in the middle. So Anita A Alvarez, a N I T A, a L V A R E Z. Yeah, that's pretty much all I'm on these days. Anita, what does it mean to you to be part of the Olympic and Paralympic family? It's so special. I've dreamed of becoming an Olympian for all this time, just for like my own dreams and goals, but you don't realize what that really means until you become part of team USA. And that's, you know, bigger than just yourself. It's bigger than, you know, everything. Once you get to meet other Olympians and Paralympians from the summer games, from the winter games, you just realize what a special group and community you're a part of and being one of the best of the best at what you do and being surrounded by and being able to call yourself friends or teammates of these incredible athletes from all the different sports is just, I mean, it's such a cool feeling to be a part of such a, you know, small group, I mean, small big group of people. Yeah. So it's, it's, I mean, I don't know, I don't even have words for it right now. It's unreal, really. Anita Alvarez, two time Olympian for the US in the sport of artistic swimming. Thanks for being on the podcast and good luck in Paris. Thank you so much. Great talking to you. All right. Wasn't that amazing? Anita, I love you so much. Thank you for coming on the podcast. Thank you for opening up in the podcast about all your experiences. I really never knew how you kept your hair so straight and that is amazing to know. I'm going to try that on my mustache while I'm a son of this year. Thank you for the advice. And please check a need out on Instagram, center message. She is awesome. Anita Alvarez, ANIT, A-A-L-V-A-R-E-Z. I hope I got that right. Okay. Just check the bio of the podcast. If I got it wrong, you can find it there. And speaking of social media, if you want to follow us, we are at every four years podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. And if you like this podcast, which I hope you did, please leave a review. It really does help the algorithm and more people can hear the podcast. All right. Back to Olympic watching. We'll see you next time. Kill the music. I do like my voice in this closet. (upbeat music)