Lisa Boyce, University of Illinois Laboratory High School

 

When did you start swimming? How did you get started? What teams or clubs have you swum with?

I started swim lessons when I was four years old. At the time, I was living in Maryland and taking gymnastics lessons in the building right next to the pool. When my lesson was over, my mom and I would walk to the pool and wait for my brother to be done with his practice. Spending that time at the pool watching everyone else move through the water is what inspired me to start the sport myself. My first experience being on a team was with Windsor the summer that I was five. The next year, I joined what was then Aquachiefs to swim year-round, and I�ve swum for HEAT or Aquachiefs ever since. I also swam for Uni High during my junior year of high school.

 

What are your college plans? What will you major in?

I'll be swimming for Princeton as a Tiger! I plan on majoring in English.

 

What have you learned from swimming?

Swimming has taught me so much.  One of the main things that I�ve learned recently is how mental the sport is. Mental toughness and relaxation are key, especially at tough practices and major meets. Being able to push through a challenging set is what will make you better, and being able calm yourself down and not freak out under the pressure of a big meet will make racing so much more fun.

 

What is your favorite swimming memory?

Since I�ve basically devoted my life to the sport, I have so many swimming memories.  When I went to my first Grand Prix meet in Long Beach, CA last year, I remember just being amazed at all of the swimming talent on deck. A number of my favorite swimmers were there, including Mary Descenza (I warmed up in her lane), Ryan Lochte (I warmed down in his), and Matt Grevers (I was right in front of him in the line for starts, which meant that I had to get out of the way really quickly when I was done!). At one point, in between racing and taking pictures of all of the famous swimmers, I realized that I was there on deck with them. Being in the pool with them and competing against them made me feel like part of that great group of swimmers, and as the years go on, I can only hope to get to the core of that swimming community.

 

What is your favorite event? Least favorite?

My favorite events are the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle. The 100 is just the perfect distance for me, since I'm too much of a sprinter for the 200s and not enough of a sprinter for the 50. My least favorite events are the 200 breaststroke and 400 IM.  I actually used to enjoy both of these, but I haven't really been able to get my breaststroke back since my knee trouble a few years ago.

 

What is your favorite movie? Favorite food? Favorite place?

My favorite movie is Mean Girls; it�s a sleepover staple. My favorite food is either ice cream or a good pasta dish.  I guess my favorite place would be the beach, but really, it depends more on the people I�m with.

 

What 3 people would you invite to dinner?

If I could invite any three people to dinner, I would invite David Sedaris, Richard Quick, and Natalie Coughlin.

Tell us something about yourself that people might find surprising or interesting.
Even though I'm a senior, I am only 16 years old. I was born in Maryland, and there you can go to kindergarten if you are turning five that year. Since my birthday is in December, I ended up starting kindergarten early.  Then I skipped a grade when I entered Uni, continuing my lifelong tradition of being the youngest in my class.  The running joke at the beginning of this school year was that I was 12 years old, so for my birthday I said that I was hitting a big milestone by turning 13 and finally becoming a teenager.  The best part is some people actually believed me!