University of Tennessee Athletics
The Quiz: Sam Petersen
November 02, 2011 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Nov. 2, 2011
BY AMANDA PRUITT
UTSports.com
Sam Petersen is off to a fast start in his sophomore season.
The native of Short Hills, N.J., had a successful meet last week in Louisville when he won the 1000-yard freestyle in a team-best 9 minutes, 18.77. The distance swimmer also placed second in the 500 freestyle.
For a look at Petersen's improvement from his freshman season to the family swimming tradition to opinions on gravy, here's this week's Q&A.
Q: You've had some success so far to start your sophomore season. Talk a little about where you feel like you are, performance wise.
A: "I'm feeling way better than I did coming into last season. Last season was my first swimming season, coming back in action after my redshirt year. This year I'm a little more confident. I think I can do really well. I've already thrown down times that are eight or nine seconds faster than I was going at the beginning of last season. I feel pretty comfortable with where I am right now, so I'm going to stick to my training and hopefully do well."
Q: What's helped you been able to cut those seconds off your time?
A: Mostly, I've just been a little more consistent in practice. My coach, Lars (Jorgensen), always says consistency is key to a swimmer's success, and I've really found that true this year. The more consistent I am in workouts, the more time I end up dropping in races. I'm liking that, and I also feel a little stronger and have more speed so I can go those times right now.
Q: You had a pretty exciting race last week, winning the 1000 by a second against a swimmer from Louisville. What's it like to be in such a close race after swimming such a long distance?
A: "You just really don't want to lose. The worst thing is to come at the end of a nine-minute race and end up losing it like that. I could always push myself to not want to lose that a bit more than I can other races. Most of the time, I keep myself going because I hate to be on the losing end of that race."
Q: Could you tell how close the race was?
A: "I could look around and pretty much tell you where everyone is. In a freestyle event, you breathe over and can pretty much tell where everyone is, especially in a race that's spread out like the 1000 or 500. You can see where everybody is in the race -- you are in the race, if you're winning or if you're losing or if they're behind by a lot."
Q: How did you get into distance swimming?
A: "When I was 12 years old, my coach told me that I had to swim the mile, and then I swam it kind of well. Then I got stuck swimming distance the rest of my life. It's the only race I was really good at, so if given the choice, I rather be good than be a sprinter and not do as well."
Q: To take a step back further, how did you get into swimming?
A: "My dad and grandpa both swam in college also, so I kept it going. Me and my brother kept it going. I played other sports when I was little, but swimming was my best sport by a lot."
Q: Is swimming a big sport back home?
A: "Yeah, it kind of is. It's more of a club swimming scene than a high school swimming scene."
Q: How did you end up at Tennessee from New Jersey?
A: "I was looking at a bunch of different schools, and I came down here my junior year on an unofficial visit, and I fell in love with the school then. After my recruiting trip, I just knew right away. I was really taken away by the school. I liked it down here and liked the guys on the team."
Q: Coming from the North, have you picked up anything from the South?
A: "Not an extreme amount. There are certain things down here a like a lot. I know I'm more northern than I am southern still, but there are things that I like. I've adopted the southern personality a little bit.
Q: Taken any accents or words back home?
A: "I refuse to pick up on certain southern words. I refuse to pick up on the word ya'll. I know I'd take a lot of heat back home if I started saying that."
Q: What's your opinion on gravy and other southern dining habits?
A: "I haven't picked up too much on putting gravy on everything. I'm not a big gravy guy. I do like barbecue and all that, but that's not really Southern. At breakfast when they put gravy on biscuits, I'm not a fan about that at all."
Q: What about the color orange? Did you see a lot of that before coming here?
A: "Yeah, my whole family has been big on orange for a while. My dad went to Princeton. My grandpa went to Princeton -- a lot of my family went to Princeton. So that's orange and black. My family had adopted the orange already, and when I came to Tennessee, they loved it even more. We make jokes that my little sister needs to go to a school with orange just so we can keep the tradition going."
Q: Speaking of family, do your parents get to come and watch you compete?
A: "One of my parents will come to every meet. The first meet, my dad came down, and at Louisville, my mom showed up. I think they're both coming down for the Invite. One family member should usually be here. My brother's come down for mets before too. It's a big thing in our family."
Q: We've got the SECs here this year. What does that mean for you?
A: "It's something that I'm really looking forward to. Everyone wants to do well in their home pool. I think it'll really get us motivated here. I want to really swim well here, and I think I can. I practice every day here and I know this pool better than most people would. I hope to throw down good times at the end of the season here."
