Muskego native experiences international swimming meet in Japan

Muskego - The swimming was the easy part when Anna Meinholz and Jessica Wolf found themselves in Osaka, Japan, in September, competing with others from the United States and around the world.

The cheering? That proved a little more nuanced than anticipated.

"We didn't really have our stuff on deck, that was all upstairs by the stadium seating area, and that's where we had our bags and stuff, so we would walk up and down," Meinholz, an Oconomowoc resident and Catholic Memorial student, said. "We were sitting in the stands, and everyone would stand up off their seats (to cheer on teammates). Our translator said it was disrespectful to stand up and cheer; you have to stay in your seats. We had no idea."

For Meinholz and Waukesha Express teammate Wolf, a Muskego High School senior, as well as coach Blaine Carlson, the experience with the National Club Swimming Association All-Star team was as much cultural as competitive.

"It was a good experience leading into Olympic trials for both those kids to swim a meet like this and know what it's like to travel," said Carlson, who guided Waukesha South/Mukwonago to a state championship last year. "It's a totally different culture, different food - you're not really in your comfort zone. We took the subway everywhere and there was a lot of walking around.

"Sometimes kids think everything has to be perfect to perform well. Both our girls did a really good job. They showed you can swim well when conditions aren't ideal. Twenty hours flying over there, and two days later, you're competing."

Fantastic voyage

To get this far, Meinholz and Wolf qualified with results at two separate meets. The top 16 times in each event from the NCSA Jr. National meet in Orlando in March were eligible, and of those swimmers, the top two at the USA Jr. National Championships at Stanford University made the team.

"Making the NCSA All-Star Team and competing in Japan were life-changing events for me," Wolf said. "I was surrounded by some of the best and elite coaches and swimmers in the U.S. They gave me an opportunity to learn from them, acquire connections for swimming and develop friendships. The dual meet against the Japanese swimmers allowed me to observe several customs and traditions of these great people.

"The language barrier didn't allow conversation with each other, but I followed their customs and bowed to the competitor before and after the races. There was an unspoken language of swimmers which showed each other great respect and honor to race."

The U.S. team swam against the Japanese and Australian teams in competition. Wolf said she was affected by the 12-hour time difference.

"When I was swimming at noon, my body felt it was midnight and I was in a state of slumber," she said. "I have learned to be strong and focus on my swims even when my eyes would close from exhaustion."

Carlson said: "I think for the U.S. kids, they were maybe at a disadvantage as far as the timing of the year. Kids come off their summer season in August (in the U.S.) and are just gearing back up. The Japanese selected this time and used it as a pretty big meet for them, but it's such a great opportunity, and hard for anyone to pass up."

Going the distance

Wolf competed in distance freestyle events, specializing in distances beyond what's typically offered in high school. After competing with the high school team, Wolf made the tough decision to work exclusively with the club during her junior and senior years.

"The decision to train on my own, away from high school, was the most difficult because I was a friend with my classmates," she said. "My friends understood that my events, like the 1,650 free and the 800 free, are my true talents. Training on a 25-yard pool with girls who are much slower would not keep my times and would slow me down. My decision to reach my personal goals was the right one for me."

That seemed to be vindicated immediately, when she took second in the 1,650 free at a national meet in December, 2010, then followed that up with the trip to Japan. She also competed in her first open-water 10-kilometer in June in a national meet in Ft. Lauderdale, finishing three places shy of making the national team and taking 21st out of 200 swimmers.

She said seeing the Golden Pavilion and Nijo Castle counted as the most memorable visits during her brief stay out East.

"I was very impressed with the beauty and creativity and the way the earth was reflected through water," Wolf said. "I am very honored and thankful to have represented the U.S. It was a life-changing trip and my fondest memory ever."