The Midway is featuring athletes, selected at random, from school teams for informal interviews about their sports. Zachary Wong is a junior on the boys swimming team. Zachary’s responses have been lightly edited for clarity, style and length.
How long have you been swimming?
“I have been swimming since I was in third grade, so eight years now.
What is one thing in your gear bag that you can’t live without?
“Obviously my suit, but probably chocolate milk because you need fuel.”
Is there an artist that you always listen to before a meet?
“I really don’t like listening to music because I can’t focus when I do. I try and keep the sounds out of my head, so I can just like put my head down and think and visualize my race.”
Do you have a favorite pre-race food that you like to get?
“Subway. I like wheat, toasted, whatever meats they have, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, cheese.”
Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?
“I try and stay off my phone for 30 minutes beforehand. I don’t know if it helps, but I don’t want to be thinking about whatever I’m doing on my phone during the race.”
If you could meet one professional athlete, who would it be and why?
“Zach Apple because Zach is the best name, and he swims the same events that I do.”
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self starting out in sports?
“It’s gonna hurt, but it’s also going to be OK after the set. You are gonna be fine, so just try your best.”
How do you handle nerves before a race?
“I know that all the other guys are also going to be racing, so I know if they can do it I can do it too.”
What is your favorite memory with your team?
“There’s a friend we have from our club team who was a senior when I was a freshman. His name is David and he’s the best. After a meet we had together, we won the meet and he was on one of the other teams, and we just gave him the trophy and we all started partying in the locker room. It was just a great time.”
What is the highlight of your swimming career so far?
“Probably when my coach tricked me into going faster than I was trying to go at one of the championship meets for club swimming, and I ended up making state.”
