Friday, December 18, 2020
Nic Fink is Prepared for One More Olympic Shot
When it comes to accepting what he can and can’t control in and out of the pool, Nic Fink is realistic.
He knows what he can’t control: when there’s a practice, when he can lift and when there are competitions and meets.
He also knows what he can control: the effort he gives during practice, how he takes care of his body when there isn’t any training and how he can mitigate the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19.
It’s this last part – the continuing impact of the ongoing pandemic – that reinforced his desire to make the most of what he can and look past what he can’t.
“An important lesson that you learn in swimming is to control what you can control,” he said. “Usually, it is a way to stay focused on a race and to not worry about an outcome of a meet. But that lesson has come in handy this strange year because of COVID.
“After spending months swimming in a one-lane backyard pool (during the spring shutdown), I have grown to focus on the things I can do instead of getting upset over things I can't. This helps me stay motivated through the uncertainty that has been 2020.”
Fink added that 2020 also has posed some challenges outside of the pool, namely the hardships of not being able to see friends and family, not being able to leave our homes without masks or sanitizer for fear of catching a virus, amongst many others things.
“While it is frustrating to be stuck in an endless cycle of caution, it has been important to my health and the health of those around me,” he said.
During all of this, Fink persevered. Even when spring and summer sports were canceled and Olympic Swim Trials and the Olympic Games were postponed, he worked through the disappointment.
“(When the shutdown happened) The first thing that Jack (Bauerle) wanted us to do was to take a step back and get away from the pool,” he said. “We had been so motivated to compete at Trials for so long that we all needed a break to rewire out brains and to unwind.
“I was able to drive down to my grandparent’s house with my family to help them through the quarantine process. That was great for me because it was the most time I was able to spend with my family since high school. I took a week or two of little to no exercise (with a healthy amount of yard work), but then I slowly began to build back up again.”
He started with running and biking and eventually transitioned to swimming in a backyard pool attached to a short tube.
Eventually, he was able to find a one lane backyard pool where he continued training until he returned to Athens.
Even when things felt their most uncertain, Fink said he always knew life would eventually resume to some level of consistency and normality – and when it did, he wanted to be ready for what was coming next.
“I was very excited with how my 2020 started, and I was ready to compete for a spot at the Games,” he said. “I think most people (especially pros) were on a four-year plan that involved major changes after the 2020 Games.
“So, it was a disappointment to hear the news, but I understood why the decision was made and I also realized that this delay impacted everyone in the swimming community, not just me. Fortunately, I was able to delay my life plans and dedicate myself to another year of training in Athens (Ga,) and focusing on the Olympic Games again.”
Those life plans Fink is referring to involve advancing his education so when it is time for him to retire from competitive swimming, he’s ready.
Before the Olympics were postponed, Fink said he was planning to attend graduate school after the Games at Georgia Tech to get his master’s degree in electrical engineering.
He wasn’t necessarily going to stop competing – as the International Swimming League (ISL) has opened new annual opportunities during non-Olympic years – but he was going to scale back while he attended school.
That’s still the plan – it’s just been delayed a year.
“I am fortunate that they (Georgia Tech) were willing to let me defer to the fall of 2021,” he said. “I enjoyed the engineering classes I had in my undergrad at Georgia, so I knew I wanted to learn a little more about the field. I have always been interested in robotics and have worked with power systems in the past, so potentially something in those realms of EE.”
And while Fink has a clear plan for his life after swimming, the next six months leading up to his third Olympic Trials – all in Omaha – are somewhat up in the air due to the pandemic and the uncertainty that surrounds it.
He knows his practice schedule will remain unchanged – but as far as having sanctioned competitions in the winter and spring, he knows he can’t count on anything.
Anything but himself, his coach and his teammates, that is.
“I was planning on spending the next six months leading up to Trials like last year with training and competitions to help get me ready,” he said. “While we have some competitions on the schedule, it is impossible to know if those meets will actually happen.
“I think it has been a healthy approach to take it one month at a time. Jack has us on a bigger plan for Trials but I'm going to focus on getting to practice every day and doing the best I can. If there are meets, great, and if not, I'll just keep training. With the group (of athletes) that we have here in Athens, I get to race some of the best breaststrokers and overall swimmers in the world on a daily basis.”
Speaking of that, when he returns to competition – whether that’s a TYR Pro Swim Series Meet or Trials in late June – Fink knows he’ll have some stiff but familiar competition in his breaststroke events.
He said that American men’s breaststroke is in for a “breakout year,” and because many of them train together and all of them have been competing against each other for the better part of a decade, they know each other well.
“Unlike a lot of strokes, I think U.S. men breaststroke is a pretty close group, except for maybe the 30 seconds before or after a race when our competitive natures get the best of us,” said Fink, who set new American (short course meters) records in both the 100 and 200 breast events this fall at his final ISL meet last month in Budapest.
“I expect Trials to be a very fast meet in the 100 and 200 breast. With older names and newer names, I would think that a :58-high and 2:07-mid may NOT make the team, which would mean some American records might be in jeopardy.”
Looking back over his career, Fink said he can't help but think of all the places he’s seen and the people he’s met.
The sport of swimming has given him so much, and he wouldn't trade these experiences for anything.
“I still feel a hunger that I want more,” said Fink, a member of World Championships (3), Pan Pacific and Pan American teams. “A driving force that says I am not satisfied with those accomplishments yet is I feel like I have more to give to the sport and to myself. Obviously, I want to make an Olympic Team, but if I don't, I think one day I'll be able to look back on my career and be happy with everything that I've done.
“Ultimately, I am blessed to be in a position where I can walk away from the sport when I am ready. Without the support from my coaches, family, teammates, etc., I would probably not be in the position I am in today, and I know the day will come when I have to hang up the goggles for good.”
He knows what he can’t control: when there’s a practice, when he can lift and when there are competitions and meets.
He also knows what he can control: the effort he gives during practice, how he takes care of his body when there isn’t any training and how he can mitigate the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19.
It’s this last part – the continuing impact of the ongoing pandemic – that reinforced his desire to make the most of what he can and look past what he can’t.
“An important lesson that you learn in swimming is to control what you can control,” he said. “Usually, it is a way to stay focused on a race and to not worry about an outcome of a meet. But that lesson has come in handy this strange year because of COVID.
“After spending months swimming in a one-lane backyard pool (during the spring shutdown), I have grown to focus on the things I can do instead of getting upset over things I can't. This helps me stay motivated through the uncertainty that has been 2020.”
Fink added that 2020 also has posed some challenges outside of the pool, namely the hardships of not being able to see friends and family, not being able to leave our homes without masks or sanitizer for fear of catching a virus, amongst many others things.
“While it is frustrating to be stuck in an endless cycle of caution, it has been important to my health and the health of those around me,” he said.
During all of this, Fink persevered. Even when spring and summer sports were canceled and Olympic Swim Trials and the Olympic Games were postponed, he worked through the disappointment.
“(When the shutdown happened) The first thing that Jack (Bauerle) wanted us to do was to take a step back and get away from the pool,” he said. “We had been so motivated to compete at Trials for so long that we all needed a break to rewire out brains and to unwind.
“I was able to drive down to my grandparent’s house with my family to help them through the quarantine process. That was great for me because it was the most time I was able to spend with my family since high school. I took a week or two of little to no exercise (with a healthy amount of yard work), but then I slowly began to build back up again.”
He started with running and biking and eventually transitioned to swimming in a backyard pool attached to a short tube.
Eventually, he was able to find a one lane backyard pool where he continued training until he returned to Athens.
Even when things felt their most uncertain, Fink said he always knew life would eventually resume to some level of consistency and normality – and when it did, he wanted to be ready for what was coming next.
“I was very excited with how my 2020 started, and I was ready to compete for a spot at the Games,” he said. “I think most people (especially pros) were on a four-year plan that involved major changes after the 2020 Games.
“So, it was a disappointment to hear the news, but I understood why the decision was made and I also realized that this delay impacted everyone in the swimming community, not just me. Fortunately, I was able to delay my life plans and dedicate myself to another year of training in Athens (Ga,) and focusing on the Olympic Games again.”
Those life plans Fink is referring to involve advancing his education so when it is time for him to retire from competitive swimming, he’s ready.
Before the Olympics were postponed, Fink said he was planning to attend graduate school after the Games at Georgia Tech to get his master’s degree in electrical engineering.
He wasn’t necessarily going to stop competing – as the International Swimming League (ISL) has opened new annual opportunities during non-Olympic years – but he was going to scale back while he attended school.
That’s still the plan – it’s just been delayed a year.
“I am fortunate that they (Georgia Tech) were willing to let me defer to the fall of 2021,” he said. “I enjoyed the engineering classes I had in my undergrad at Georgia, so I knew I wanted to learn a little more about the field. I have always been interested in robotics and have worked with power systems in the past, so potentially something in those realms of EE.”
And while Fink has a clear plan for his life after swimming, the next six months leading up to his third Olympic Trials – all in Omaha – are somewhat up in the air due to the pandemic and the uncertainty that surrounds it.
He knows his practice schedule will remain unchanged – but as far as having sanctioned competitions in the winter and spring, he knows he can’t count on anything.
Anything but himself, his coach and his teammates, that is.
“I was planning on spending the next six months leading up to Trials like last year with training and competitions to help get me ready,” he said. “While we have some competitions on the schedule, it is impossible to know if those meets will actually happen.
“I think it has been a healthy approach to take it one month at a time. Jack has us on a bigger plan for Trials but I'm going to focus on getting to practice every day and doing the best I can. If there are meets, great, and if not, I'll just keep training. With the group (of athletes) that we have here in Athens, I get to race some of the best breaststrokers and overall swimmers in the world on a daily basis.”
Speaking of that, when he returns to competition – whether that’s a TYR Pro Swim Series Meet or Trials in late June – Fink knows he’ll have some stiff but familiar competition in his breaststroke events.
He said that American men’s breaststroke is in for a “breakout year,” and because many of them train together and all of them have been competing against each other for the better part of a decade, they know each other well.
“Unlike a lot of strokes, I think U.S. men breaststroke is a pretty close group, except for maybe the 30 seconds before or after a race when our competitive natures get the best of us,” said Fink, who set new American (short course meters) records in both the 100 and 200 breast events this fall at his final ISL meet last month in Budapest.
“I expect Trials to be a very fast meet in the 100 and 200 breast. With older names and newer names, I would think that a :58-high and 2:07-mid may NOT make the team, which would mean some American records might be in jeopardy.”
Looking back over his career, Fink said he can't help but think of all the places he’s seen and the people he’s met.
The sport of swimming has given him so much, and he wouldn't trade these experiences for anything.
“I still feel a hunger that I want more,” said Fink, a member of World Championships (3), Pan Pacific and Pan American teams. “A driving force that says I am not satisfied with those accomplishments yet is I feel like I have more to give to the sport and to myself. Obviously, I want to make an Olympic Team, but if I don't, I think one day I'll be able to look back on my career and be happy with everything that I've done.
“Ultimately, I am blessed to be in a position where I can walk away from the sport when I am ready. Without the support from my coaches, family, teammates, etc., I would probably not be in the position I am in today, and I know the day will come when I have to hang up the goggles for good.”