University of Houston Athletics
Ginger Hurley and Jane Figueiredo Chat Wrap
1/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Jan. 18, 2002
Moderator: Good afternoon again, everyone.
We are fortunate to have with us UH swimming and diving head coach Ginger Hurley and diving coach Jane Figueiredo.
Some of you have already submitted questions, so we will answer those first. But please feel free to ask a question as we go along.
With that out of the way, let's begin with question No. 1.
Randy Missoula, Mt: Greg, How much do the one-piece suits help shaving tenths off? Is this just psychological or the real deal? And, for the heck of it....What will the world record 200m fly be in the next summer olympics? Thanks
Ginger Hurley: Swimming is psychological. Anything to help them mentally is worth trying. Whatever makes them feel good in the water is the main thing. Falon Hopkins wears one in Conference USA meets and she loves it. She wears the half-body suit. Coug Fan: Coach,
Love the UHCougars.com website!! What is your competitive background? Did you compete in college and/or for the U.S.? Best of luck this season!Ginger Hurley: I swam for Texas A&M and Jane dove for the University of Houston. Jane dove for Portugal in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. And we've both scored at NCAA Championships.
Brian Los Gatos CA: How many scholarships do you have? How many are div 1 swimming teams allowed to have?
Ginger Hurley: 14 scholarships are allowed, split between the swimmers and the divers. Brian Los Gatos CA: When is the remodeling of the pool going to be finished? What are the details of the remodeling? Thank you.
Ginger Hurley: The remodeling of the old pool was finished two years ago. The new campus recreation wellness center is due to open in the spring semester of 2003. It includes a 70-meter stretch pool with complete diving boards and towers. We plan on hosting the C-USA Championships in Feb. 2004. It's huge. It puts on a more equal playing field with schools in the state of Texas and across the country. As much as you don't want to admit, facilities is important in the minds of kids you are recruiting.
Other schools that have built pools, it has really helped them.
Ginger Hurley: Fans can link to a web site where you can view the progress on the new center. That link is www.crwccam.edu. Rob (Houston): Coach, how do you think we'll do against Rice on Saturday?
Ginger Hurley: They are ranked 22nd in the nation and we are going to do our best to step up and meet the challenge. Diving obviously is a key factor for us with the returning two-time NCAA National champion. Susan (Katy): Who's been the biggest surprise on the team this year?
Ginger Hurley: Yulia is not a surprise. Lucile Turpin has probably been the biggest surprise. She is a very hard worker. She has a good shot to qualify for the NCAA Championships which would be our first swimmer since the mid-1990s. jermaine: Gey ginger, what are your chances of going to the big dance this season?
Ginger Hurley: There is a 100 percent chance that Yulia is going to return to the NCAA Championships to defend her titles. In swimming, there is no way of predicting. It's done based on times, so you don't know until the beginning of March. In diving, they score the points and go to the zone meets. It's about as close to a sure thing as you get with Yulia. Moderator: Are there any more questions for Ginger or Jane?
Moderator: Jane, besides Yulia, what do you think of the divers' performances this season and as an overall group?
Ginger Hurley: Jane Figueiredo: As a group, the girls from Houston have improved dramatically but are still not at the level they need to be to qualify for the NCAAs. We've taken a different approach with Yulia this year. We're pacing her a bit so that she can peak at the NCAA Championships and not at conference. This year at the NCAA's is going to be a whole new ball game. The one-meter event is going to be a close event. We could win or we could be in the top three.
On 3-meter, I don't know anybody that is going to touch her. This year, I hope that she dives better in the finals, which will be held March 21-23 in Austin, Texas.
Moderator: Coach Figueiredo, how do you motivate someone like Yulia who is so much better at her event than just about everyone in the country. Is that a difficult challenge.
Ginger Hurley: Jane Figueiredo: It's been tough with her at times. She is totally motivated by better divers. I don't have anyone that is going to be better than her. I have to be able to recruit and bring in one other girl who can push her to that level, which we are in the process of doing. I can't be easy on her. I have to motivate her by kicking her in the butt. That's how I motivate her.
Moderator: Are there any more questions for Coach Hurley or Coach Figueiredo?
Moderator: Coach Hurley and Coach Figueiredo, thank you very much for your time today. And we certainly appreciate all the people who submitted questions.
Just a reminder that the Cougars will be in action at 1 p.m. Saturday in the UH Natatorium when they play host to Rice.
Coaches Hurley and Figueiredo will be available for another on-line chat during the week of March 11, so please think of questions and have them ready then. More details about the on-line chat in March will be available in a few weeks.
Thanks again to everyone, and have a great day!
NCAA Diving Zones, Day 3
Wednesday, March 13
NCAA Diving Zones, Day 2
Tuesday, March 12
NCAA Diving Zones, Day 1
Monday, March 11
Swimming & Diving: University of Houston vs. SMU
Saturday, February 03