Olivia Laun is a freshman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been swimming competitively for six years. Her high school swim team, the North Allegheny Tigers, is consistently ranked as one of the best high school swim programs in the nation.
Her Campus: What sorts of championships did your team win? Have they set any records?
Olivia Laun: The girls team has won Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Championships eleven years in a row. The boys team was the Pennsylvania State Champion for three years in a row and has set the National Public School record in the 200m and 400m freestyle relays.
HC: What was a typical week of practice like?
OL: Each week there was practice after school every day until 5pm. We had morning practice 3 times a week from 5:30-7am. We also had practices on Saturday. We did Crossfit twice a week for our cross training component. There were swim meets twice a week.
HC: What event did you personally compete in?
OL: I swam the 100 yard butterfly, which is 4 laps of butterfly.
HC: Do you plan to keep swimming in college? Do other athletes on your team?
OL: I swim for fun with my roommate, but won’t be swimming competitively this year. Other people on my team are swimming at schools like Davidson, Virginia, Pitt, and Stamford.
HC: What are some traditions that your team has?
OL: Before big meets we would have a pasta party to “carbo load” before we would have to swim. During the season, the girls would dye the ends of their hair blonde. The boys would dye their entire heads and shave them once the season ended.