Bouter, Rodriguez Reflect on World Championships
10/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
The University of Houston Department of Intercollegiate Athletics inspires excellence today while preparing CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE by fostering a culture, which challenges student-athletes to achieve their highest academic, athletic and personal aspirations. Throughout the 2015-16 athletic season, UHCougars.com will highlight Houston student-athletes, coaches and alumni who are committed to building CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE on the field, in the classroom and throughout the community. Today's CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE feature, written by Communications Assistant Willi Anderson, looks back on the 2015 World Championships experience of Houston Swimming & Diving sophomores Micaela Bouter and Sharo Rodriguez.
While many people were relaxing this past summer by the pool, All-American Athletic Conference Team members Micaela Bouter and Sharo Rodriguez were back on the springboard and in the lanes, training and competing on one of the biggest and competitive stages this summer at the 2015 FINA World Championships.
The 16th FINA World Championship in Kazan, Russia featured 5,500 athletes from 100 countries and ran July 24 through Aug. 9. The two young rising stars from the University of Houston Swimming and Diving team had great showcases as they competed in their respective events.
Bouter, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, took to the boards on July 26 in the 1m springboard, where she finished 22nd with a score of 227.50. Then on July 31, the sophomore placed 27th in the 3m springboard, scoring a total of 258.30.
"Worlds was awesome," Bouter recounted. "It was incredible to see what talent the world has. It was such an amazing experience. I was so happy to be there. I felt super proud to be there and happy to be representing South Africa."
On the other side of the pool, Rodriguez, a native of Queretaro, Mexico, took her first swim Aug. 2, competing in the 100m butterfly. She netted a time of 1:02.97 to earn a 45th-place result. Two days later, Rodriguez captured a 35th-place finish in the 200m butterfly, finishing in a time of 2:19.60. She concluded her stay at the World Championships with a 45th-place finish in the 50m butterfly in a time of 29.13.
But for the Cougar student-athletes, it wasn't all about what they did in the pool. Being surrounded by the world's best swimmers and divers was a great learning experience for both Cougars as they competed against international superstars and got a front-row seat into what those stars do to prep for their meets.
"It was a really good experience," Rodriguez explained. "I learned what everyone at that level does, not just in the pool but how they eat and how they warm up before meets. That was something I really took away from being around some of the best swimmers in the world, and I'm going to use that this season."
For Bouter, being alongside the some of the world's finest divers was terrifying at first, but she soon found inspiration in her surroundings.
"At first it was really scary," Bouter confessed. "I'd only seen those athletes on TV, and I'd be like `hey, you look bigger than you do on TV.' Then as I got to dive with them, as well as speak with them, they were all super nice. It was really awesome, being able to tap into their mentality to see how they train and what they do for warm up. It was very encouraging."
Now that school has begun and the Houston Swimming & Diving season is underway, Bouter, Rodriguez and their teammates are prepared to begin a new era, as Ryan Wochomurka starts his tenure as head swimming & diving Coach and Bob Gunter joins the staff as diving coach. For Rodriguez, getting a firsthand view of what the planet's best are doing provides inspiration for a new goal for this season.
"This season, I want to improve my reactions and more of my techniques, especially after seeing how swimmers at Worlds did," Rodriguez said. "Having the opportunity to see how those swimmers competed gave me the drive to improve myself and focus on improving my techniques."
While Rodriguez took away more technique, Bouter's takeaway was how the athletes around her mentally prepared themselves and how they cognitively handled the pressure of competition.
"All of the athletes were super focused," Bouter said. "They were super calm, and they seemed like they knew what they wanted and how to get it. That's what I want to bring with me this season: the confidence and the calm and knowing what I want and taking it."
As the team prepares to make a splash this season, they set a team goal: to finish in the top-3 at the American Athletic Conference Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Houston at the Campus Wellness and Recreation Center in February. Rodriguez thinks this is a realistic goal that the team can achieve.
"I believe we can do it," Rodriguez said confidently. "If we can all do our best in our individual events, we can achieve this goal, but it starts with us focusing on our individual events.
"Last year's conference meet was only the second time I've swam in yards. That's something I didn't do back home. My goal this season is to improve my time in yards. The times I swam at conference last year were good, but I know I can improve, especially in the next three years."
Looking forward to conference, Bouter feels very confident in the team's ability to make waves in the pool, as she believes the team has an upper hand when it comes to home natatorium advantage.
"It's a advantage for us," Bouter said. "The boards are different everywhere you go, so it nice that we'll know what the boards feel like and what boards we are going to use. When you go to other pools you have to decide which exact boards you're going to use and get use to it. Some are stiffer, some are more bouncy, so knowing and practicing on our boards is a huge advantage."
As they look forward to the season ahead for Houston Swimming & Diving, Bouter and Rodriguez can't help but reflect at all they experienced this summer at the World Championships and dream of the next time they can represent their countries at highest level.
"I hope this wasn't the last chance I'll have to represent my country," Rodriguez said. "I hope I can do everything I can to earn another spot to compete for my country. This year, I'm going to take what I learned to get better and improve myself all around."
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UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston opens the 2015-16 season Friday when they compete at the North Texas Relays in Southlake, Texas. The one-day event begins at 6 p.m. CT.
COUGARS TO HOST AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Houston will host the American Athletic Conference Championships for the first time as the best swimmers and divers in the league visit the CRWC Natatorium from Feb. 17-20, 2016. Following the conference meet, the Cougars will look to close the season at the NCAA Championships, to be held March 17-19, 2016 in Atlanta.
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