North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Swisher Anxious to Dive Back In
6/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. Natalie Swisher was never really sure when it was going to happen. But every time she climbed on the one- or three-meter diving boards this past season, she knew there was a possibility that her right shoulder may pop out of joint when she hit the water.It began back in October, on a routine dive, when she entered the water at a slightly wrong angle and suffered a partial dislocation. Until she had the shoulder surgically repaired on April 23, Swisher knew on every dive that she could re-injure herself. It happened about once a week during the season. “It made things a little challenging,” said the rising senior from Oklahoma City, Okla. “You can’t really prepare for it. You just hope the dive will be OK. I was pretty good about not letting it affect how I performed. But a couple of times during the middle of a meet, it would pop out and I would have to pop it back in.
“It never fully dislocated, but when it came out it was pretty painful. It wasn’t too bad once I got it back in.” Surgery fixed the problem, but Swisher has spent most of the last two months with her right arm immobilized with a body brace. That’s cut into her training, since she can’t swim, can’t dive and can’t work out other than taking her roommate’s dog, Callie, on long walks.
“I don’t really know what to do with all my free time,” said Swisher, a biology major who plans on enrolling in a graduate program for sports administration when her college career is over. Count head swimming and diving coach Brooks Teal among those who admire Swisher’s focus for persevering through the injury.
“I can’t imagine the fear and having to control that fear,” Teal said. “Diving is an extremely cerebral sports and the challenge of keeping your focus and not letting your fear break in, especially when you know you could hurt yourself on every dive. “I am not sure myself how they do it. But Natalie did a great job of living with that all year long.”
Swisher had the best season of her career. She finished 39th at the NCAA Zone B Championships in Athens, Ga., on the one-meter board and 36th on the three-meter board. Her goals for next year include a return trip to the zone regionals and a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Teal is also proud of Swisher’s adjustment to other challenges in her career, naming the transitions that have occurred at the top of the diving program. The Wolfpack has had three diving coaches in the last three years, and is on the verge of naming its fourth for the coming season. That’s a lot of input from multiple sources. “In a way, it has been helpful,” said Swisher. “You get a mixture of opinions. There might be a different way of explaining it. In my opinion, it helps me understand exactly how to correct my mistakes.”
It wasn’t so easy for everyone else on the team to handle the transition. “It showed Natalie’s maturity, focus and her even-keeled nature,” Teal said. “She is kind of an old hand at making that transition.”
Swisher is anxious to get back to her regular routine. She’s out of the body sling now and is going through daily rehab. She’ll be back in the pool in six to eight weeks, preparing for the final season of her career. “I just want to get back into it quickly,” she said.
