Adam Mania Trials and Tribulations Part II
Read the full article on USA Swimmng's site
BY MIKE GUSTAFSON//CORRESPONDENT
Each month, as part of our “Trials and Tribulations” series, we’ll give you an inside look at an Olympic Trials qualifier. If you have a story to share, please email Trials.Tribulations.2012@gmail.com.
Adam Mania, a former University of Wisconsin standout, went to the 2004 Olympics as a member of the Polish Olympic team. He had dual citizenship. But a few years later, Mania decided he wanted to make the U.S. Olympic team. This week in our series of interviews, Mania discusses that decision, as well as training in Milwaukee, Wis., as a post-graduate swimmer, and his advice to other post-graduate swimmers.
When did you switch to the U.S. National Team instead of Poland?
In 2007, I made the U.S. National Team and we went to Japan. Things were looking good. I just moved to Milwaukee. I got a trainer. Doing very good dryland work. Training really hard. Summer of ’08 was Omaha, Neb., where I grew up. I was a nervous wreck [for the 2008 Olympic Trials]. I just didn’t swim well.
Why did you make the switch?
When I was swimming for Poland, there were issues with the Polish Swimming Federation that weren’t working for me. Travel requirements and funding that travel. Going to certain meets to qualify for certain national teams. Even though I had the standards, I had to do the standards in Poland. That, paired with college swimming, resting for Big Tens and NCAAs, was impossible to handle. Where was that money coming from? It’s not cheap to fly to Poland. Of course, it was becoming too difficult. This is going on with lots of other Polish swimmers. Not too many of the best Polish swimmers are training there anymore. A lot in Spain, some in LA.
Are your parents Polish?
