Flippers Book #1 – Freestyle featuring Sheila Taormina

Sheila Taormina is considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes in history. At just over 5'2" tall, and not having made her first Olympic team until the age of 27, Sheila T. seems an unlikely candidate to have competed at four consecutive summer Olympiads in three completely different sports. There were no corporate endorsements fueling the effort - just a plan, some hard work, and a coach who believed along with her. Sheila learned about technique, efficiency, and the keys to success. Applying those throughout the years, Sheila grew to become an Olympic champion in one sport, world champion in a second sport, and the world cup standings leader in a third sport.

After a successful swimming career, which included a gold medal in the 4x200 Freestyle Relay at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, Sheila made the move to triathlon. She won silver at the 2003 Pan American Games, gold at the 2004 ITU World Championship, and earned podium finishes at 10 ITU World Cups - including three wins. She is the only U.S. woman to make two Olympic triathlon teams, finishing 6th in 2000 and 23rd in 2004.

Not content to walk away from sports, Sheila sought a new challenge in 2005 and quickly began to excel in the sport of modern pentathlon. After three world cup podiums, Sheila made history by making her fourth Olympic Games – in three sports. She finished 19th at the Beijing Olympics.

Sheila Taormina has experienced six completely different disciplines on the Olympic stage - swimming, cycling, running, pistol shooting, fencing, and equestrian show jumping. Her perspective on the Olympics, human potential, and performance is unparalleled.

In her book, Call the Suit (available at http://www.sheilat.com), Sheila provides an understanding of the aspects at play within the beautiful sport of swimming. Written by the smallest swimmer to win Olympic gold since the 1920 Olympics, Sheila describes propulsion, feel, and the critical components of the swim stroke that the fastest swimmers in the world have mastered.

• How old were you when you started swimming?
  I was 6 years old when I started year-round, on the YMCA team, but my dad taught me to swim at the summer club in Michigan when I was 2 years old.

• What is your favorite pre or post workout meal?
  All types of protein (chicken, steak, fish, protein drinks, you name it) and all types of carbohydrates (cereal, rice, potatoes, bread), and all types of fruits and vegetables, and sometimes a desert, if I'm still hungry after eating all the healthy things that my body craved.

• What do you do when you don’t feel good in the water?
  Think about technique, technique, technique, and also focus on expanding air into my lungs...sort of like doing a stretch on my lungs so I can breathe more easily.

• What is your favorite training set?
  I loved doing 10 x 200 butterfly on the 2:40 (yards) send-off. I would get only 5-10 seconds rest. It made me feel strong, and as a triathlete I did that every Wednesday.

• What was the hardest event to master for pentathlon?
  All events are equal. I learned, through my pentathlon experience, to respect every sport. To be the best at anything, it takes equal commitment as any sport. Shooting a gun is easy if you think it's just about holding up the gun and pulling the trigger, but if you are shooting for Olympic gold the pressure is just as demanding to overcome as the most rigorous swimming event or triathlon. Each sport is so unique in its own way regarding the challenges.. they're all beautiful, and I respect all equally.

• What is your favorite junk food?
  Chocolate covered caramels or potato chips… or both, one right after another.

• Do you have a favorite motivational quote?
  So many. Most are from the Bible. They are not motivational as much as they bring meaning to me, which in turn is motivational. One that I have laminated and carry in my purse is from Matthew 6:21: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

• Do you have any tips/advice for overcoming nervousness?
  Focus....focus....focus.....on what you've trained to do. Place your thoughts on what you can control. The results are out of your control; don't think about them. Do what you know to do and the results will be what they should be. Also, remember, the people who love you love you because of your spirit and effort, not because of what place you got.

• Who is the most famous person to hold your gold medal?
  Three Presidents of the United States have held it: President Reagan, President Clinton, and President Bush (W.).

• What is your proudest moment?
  Never proud. Only thankful. It is a blessing to be born in a country that gave me opportunity, during a time that women have equal opportunity, to a family that supported me, and with a body that was healthy enough to race. I did nothing to earn any of that.