Tyler Haab ’14, Moose Recktenwald ’14: Michael Niu ’13 started swimming when he was twelve years old. Despite admittedly being “forced” to swim at first, his coaches soon helped him to develop both skill and passion for the sport.
He noted, “All the coaches on the Episcopal swim team have been really helpful. They always have a piece of advice to help me get faster. However, I think that Bob Kupperman, one of the assistant swim coaches, has helped me improve the most over the years.”
Niu regularly competes in four different races: the 200 meter medley relay, in which he swims the freestyle leg, the 200 meter freestyle relay, the 50 meter free, and the 100 meter backstroke. His best 50 free time is 24.9 seconds, while his best 100 backstroke time is 1 minute and 4 seconds.
However, Niu knows there is always room to improve, especially in swimming, a sport in which mere tenths of a second can determine a winner.
He noted, “Personally, my goal is to just try and improve on my best times every time I get in the pool.”
When asked about team goals for the season, Niu replied that he hoped the boys’ team “clinches a top 10 spot at Easterns,” a task that the team has not accomplished in recent history.
When asked about any swimming role models, he responded, “I am not necessarily driven by the will to be like someone else, rather I just swim for my teammates and myself.”
Niu has a true passion for swimming. He enjoys watching meets, learning from coaches, participating in races, and being part of such a cohesive team.
He stated, “ [I love] being on a team where I am surrounded by people who genuinely care about each other and the sport they’re taking part in. The swim team and the whole aquatics program feels like a family and it has been one of the best experiences I’ve had at Episcopal.”
To Niu, swimming is more than just a pastime. He commented, “Swimming is a huge part of what makes me, me.”
Niu will be competing in the Boys’ Inter-Ac Championships on February 6th at Malvern Prep, where he hopes to have a strong performance in preparation for Easterns.
He described his pre-race routine, stating “I try focusing on all the things that I’m going to do well in the race and try to mentally prepare myself.”
Easterns, the team’s biggest swim meet of the year, will take place on February 22nd and 23rd at LaSalle College. Niu advises all to come out and support the team as they face fierce competition.
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