North Carolina State University Athletics
From the Water to the Sky
4/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
By Allison Barry, Media Relations Student Assistant
It was as if the spirit of the water was calling him at the age of three when he walked up to the side of a swimming pool and jumped straight into the deep end. When saved by a lifeguard and told to stay in the kiddy pool, he jumped back into the deep end.
This story symbolizes the love Steve Cowling has for the sport of swimming. It has been nearly 19 years since that moment when he encountered a pool for the first time and swimming has been with him since.
One of NC State’s fly and backstroke leaders, Steve has faced the water synergizing with its spirit and finding peace within it. “It’s a world of my own,” Steve said, every time he is in there.
Born June 30, 1983, Steve was raised in Meare, Somerset, England with his two brothers, Richard and Andrew, and parents, Michael and Celia. Coming “across the pond,” as Steve likes to call it, when he made his first trip over the Atlantic Ocean to Raleigh, North Carolina, he knew his new life would be different but supported by what he valued as a child. Steve’s values lied in having his family’s continuous support, using his competitive drive to make each day count, and allowing his shy yet outgoing personality help him to form friendships deeper than that pond he crossed on his way over to NC State.
When initially arriving to the Raleigh-Durham airport as a freshman, he was greeted by three of his new teammates. The first place he went to was a teammate’s home where the rest of the team was waiting to meet him.
Only after a few hours into the night’s team bonding event, “I fell asleep in the corner due to jet lag,” Steve mentioned. However, those extra minutes of sleep did nothing but aid his next morning’s practice when Steve was quickly spotted keeping up with the top swimmers on the team in the fast lane. This set the tone for the rest of collegiate career as he was confident and successful from that day on.
Although suffering an injury to his shoulder where he tore his labrum and bicep tendon his sophomore year and forced to take a year off, this redshirt senior has many accomplishments to be proud of. Steve stated his most notable moments in his five years at State started in his freshman year.
“In the ACC Championship, I lost two races by 0.05 seconds in both the 100 backstroke and the 200 medley relay, where I walked away with two silver medals. My second proudest moment was in my junior year after coming back from my injury. I won the ACC Championship in the 100 yard backstroke (2005) and the 200 medley relay breaking the NC State and ACC record (2006).”
Reminiscing on the strides he has made since he started here at State in 2002, he recalled on what his last swim during the ACC championships meant to him.
“I wanted to perform at my best. As a freshman, I had no pressure because I was untested and no one expected anything from me. Now, people know what I was capable of and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.”
Cowling swam hard in his final race. He also kept the tradition alive, staying both true to himself and to his teammates, when he walked up to the block with the red robe on and his chest marked with a black diamond. He was representing NC State and himself. He was himself disguised in a wolf’s mask and at the same time the wolf’s mask was representing him as he jumped from the block wanting nothing but victory in the water.
When finished, he came out of the pool and looked back into the water. He thought about the blissful memories with the close friends he has made while at State and awaits his graduation in May earning a Science Technology and Society degree. It will be then that he will move to Florida to get ready to enter flight school.
Steve will be taking the summer to train for his private pilot’s license in Daytona, Florida, at Ormond Beach Flight School. Following Ormond will be his enrollment into the Embry-Riddle Aviation School.
With his sights now set on the sky, this is where the limit rests for Steve Cowling - in the marvelous blue sky of endless possibilities.
It was as if the spirit of the water was calling him at the age of three when he walked up to the side of a swimming pool and jumped straight into the deep end. When saved by a lifeguard and told to stay in the kiddy pool, he jumped back into the deep end.
This story symbolizes the love Steve Cowling has for the sport of swimming. It has been nearly 19 years since that moment when he encountered a pool for the first time and swimming has been with him since.
One of NC State’s fly and backstroke leaders, Steve has faced the water synergizing with its spirit and finding peace within it. “It’s a world of my own,” Steve said, every time he is in there.
Born June 30, 1983, Steve was raised in Meare, Somerset, England with his two brothers, Richard and Andrew, and parents, Michael and Celia. Coming “across the pond,” as Steve likes to call it, when he made his first trip over the Atlantic Ocean to Raleigh, North Carolina, he knew his new life would be different but supported by what he valued as a child. Steve’s values lied in having his family’s continuous support, using his competitive drive to make each day count, and allowing his shy yet outgoing personality help him to form friendships deeper than that pond he crossed on his way over to NC State.
When initially arriving to the Raleigh-Durham airport as a freshman, he was greeted by three of his new teammates. The first place he went to was a teammate’s home where the rest of the team was waiting to meet him.
Only after a few hours into the night’s team bonding event, “I fell asleep in the corner due to jet lag,” Steve mentioned. However, those extra minutes of sleep did nothing but aid his next morning’s practice when Steve was quickly spotted keeping up with the top swimmers on the team in the fast lane. This set the tone for the rest of collegiate career as he was confident and successful from that day on.
Although suffering an injury to his shoulder where he tore his labrum and bicep tendon his sophomore year and forced to take a year off, this redshirt senior has many accomplishments to be proud of. Steve stated his most notable moments in his five years at State started in his freshman year.
“In the ACC Championship, I lost two races by 0.05 seconds in both the 100 backstroke and the 200 medley relay, where I walked away with two silver medals. My second proudest moment was in my junior year after coming back from my injury. I won the ACC Championship in the 100 yard backstroke (2005) and the 200 medley relay breaking the NC State and ACC record (2006).”
Reminiscing on the strides he has made since he started here at State in 2002, he recalled on what his last swim during the ACC championships meant to him.
“I wanted to perform at my best. As a freshman, I had no pressure because I was untested and no one expected anything from me. Now, people know what I was capable of and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.”
Cowling swam hard in his final race. He also kept the tradition alive, staying both true to himself and to his teammates, when he walked up to the block with the red robe on and his chest marked with a black diamond. He was representing NC State and himself. He was himself disguised in a wolf’s mask and at the same time the wolf’s mask was representing him as he jumped from the block wanting nothing but victory in the water.
When finished, he came out of the pool and looked back into the water. He thought about the blissful memories with the close friends he has made while at State and awaits his graduation in May earning a Science Technology and Society degree. It will be then that he will move to Florida to get ready to enter flight school.
Steve will be taking the summer to train for his private pilot’s license in Daytona, Florida, at Ormond Beach Flight School. Following Ormond will be his enrollment into the Embry-Riddle Aviation School.
With his sights now set on the sky, this is where the limit rests for Steve Cowling - in the marvelous blue sky of endless possibilities.
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