Trial by water

By Amanda Fletcher

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Sitting pool-side waiting for swimmer Beth Goodwin to change out
of her bathing suit, UCLA women’s swimming coach Susan
Gallagher and her staff attempt to pinpoint the adjective that best
describes their No. 1 butterflyer.

They endearingly call her weird, because she screams before
jumping in the pool at every practice.

“I just know it’s going to be really cold and
I’m such a wimp,” said Goodwin, who will be a senior
next year. “I think, “˜Am I crazy? Why am I jumping in
the water at 6 a.m.?'”

They call her naive because she goes into races with no fear.
Instead of worrying about how good the competition is, Gallagher
says Goodwin has a childlike belief that she can beat even the
fastest swimmers in the country.

“She has no limits,” Gallagher said.
“That’s why she’s so good and why she has an edge
against people at the (Olympic) trials.”

They call her determined because after a poor showing at the
NCAA Championships this past season she came back and worked
herself into the best shape of her life.

“I was capable of going faster than my competitors but I
didn’t feel I worked hard enough to be No. 1,” Goodwin
said.

“I got sick of letting them pass me and giving it away so
I decided to fix the mental side and really go for it.”

They call her amazing because only Goodwin, after already
qualifying in her specialties, the 100-meter and 200-meter
butterfly, could jump into the pool and qualify for the Olympics in
the 50-yard freestyle at the last minute.

“I was kidding around and decided I was going to do it,
and when I want to do something I just do it,” Goodwin said.
“It was my most memorable race.”

But is anyone surprised by incredible performances like
that?

“Not anymore,” sophomore teammate Leslie Hovespian
said. “She just comes out of nowhere.”

As Goodwin walks up, the first thing you notice about her is her
physique.

At a slim 5-foot-7 she isn’t exactly the broad shouldered
powerhouse that some people picture Olympic caliber swimmers look
like.

Goodwin’s flat stomach boasts six perfect muscles chiseled
in two symmetrical rows. Her arms and shoulders, though not
massive, are clearly cut and her blond hair is slick against her
head.

With this sleek and powerful look, it’s not hard to
imagine Goodwin slicing through the water at the speed of
light.

“I told her she was too skinny at the NCAA’s and she
had lost a lot of muscle,” Gallagher said. “And she
just said “˜OK, I’m gonna get stronger,’ and she
pumped it up.”

But talk to Goodwin for more than five minutes and it’s
her determination and belief in herself that is most striking.

With the Olympic trials beginning this week and running until
Aug. 16 at the Indiana Natacrium in Indianapolis, Ind., Goodwin is
confident in her ability to do well.

After suffering from two shoulder injuries early in the past
season Goodwin has worked hard to get into the kind of physical and
mental form needed to swim well at the trials.

“For the first time since my injuries I feel fast in the
water,” Goodwin said.

But at the trials it takes more than speed to win.

“On that day you have to be lucky and everything has to go
right,” Gallagher said. “If you have a bad start or a
bad turn it’s over. Take a bad breath and somebody touches
you out.”

But Goodwin not only thinks she has a chance to make the Olympic
team, she thinks she has an advantage.

Under the new format, the field of 100 swimmers is narrowed down
to 16, then to eight, and finally just two. That means, in order to
qualify for the Olympics, swimmers will have to swim three races
instead of two.

“It’s good for me because every race I swim
faster,” Goodwin said. “A lot of people get broken down
by three races and they’ll be getting more tired as the week
goes on.”

In her best event, the 100m fly, there are three swimmers
Goodwin says are her biggest competitors: Jenny Thompson, Misty
Hyman, and Dara Torres.

All are ranked in the top three, all went to Stanford, and all
qualified for trials with times under 1:00.

With her qualifying time of 1:00.72, Goodwin is ninth according
to estimates made by USA Swimming.

“Part of me is saying there’s these three people in
the country that can beat you, and another part of me is saying I
can do it,” Goodwin said.

For a swimmer who has peaked at just the right time, swimming
another amazing race like her 50-free qualifier ““ in which
she dropped a full second from her previous personal record ““
isn’t out of the question.

“She always drops a ton of time everytime she
swims,” junior Angela Belloni said.

Ranked 36th in the 200m fly and 62nd in the 50m free, Goodwin
thinks she has a legitimate shot in all three of her races.

“I know it sounds crazy, especially for a short race like
the 50 free,” Goodwin said, “but when I have to go
fast, I go fast.”

It might be naivete or pure determination, but when the trials
come to a close, UCLA may just have another Olympian on its
hands.