The Midway is featuring athletes, selected at random, from school teams for informal interviews about their sports. Simon Gans is a junior on the boys swimming and diving team. Simon’s responses have been lightly edited for clarity, style and length.
How did you get involved in swimming?
“I’ve been swimming casually my whole life, but I got into competitive swimming when I was 8 years old. My dad is a swimmer. He told us we could either pick a sport or do swimming, so that’s how I first got into it. Now I swim year-round for a club as well as the high school team.”
What’s your favorite part about swimming?
“I love the community. It’s something you might not really expect from an individual sport, but everyone gets along really well and supports each other on our high school team.”
What’s one thing in your gear bag that you can’t live without?
“My goggles. Mine have a prescription, so if I don’t have them I literally can’t see at all.”
Who is one artist you listen to when preparing for a race?
“I love the rock band My Bloody Valentine. They’re a little different from the rest of my music taste. Their music is less about the vocals and more about the sound, which I really like when preparing for a meet because it helps you focus more on the environment while still hearing the sound.”
What’s your favorite pre-race snack?
“I have these peanut butter protein bars that I really like. They’re definitely a staple.”
If you could design your own swimsuit, what would it look like?
“I’m not sure exactly the design, but I would want it to be cool and interesting-looking because it’s kind of hard to find interesting swimsuits. And I would also want it to be red.”
Do you have any pre-race rituals/superstitions?
“Slapping yourself lightly as a way to warm up your muscles. It sounds kind of weird, but practically all swimmers do it. It’s become part of my routine.”
What’s your favorite Gatorade flavor?
“People think I’m really weird for this, but I really like the lime and cucumber one. I’ve gotten a lot of hate for liking it, but I find it better than all the other flavors.”
If you could meet one professional athlete, who would it be and why?
“Michael Phelps. I don’t really know too much about the swim world, I just swim because I like to swim. But he’s an iconic swimmer, so who wouldn’t want to meet him? Even if I wasn’t an athlete, I would want to meet him. He dominated the swimming world for a while, which is just incredible.”
What would your advice be for other high school swimmers/athletes in general?
“Stay motivated and committed. There’s been times when it’s been hard to get in the water and continue swimming. It’s really important that you stick to it, because it will pay off.”
