Princeton University Athletics
Postcards From Sydney
October 20, 2000 | General
Susan Teeter, Princeton's women's swimming coach, had been there before. Twice as head manager for the U.S. Women's Swim Team. So has Princeton's heavyweight crew coach Curtis Jordan, who was there for the fourth time.
Perhaps that's why these Princeton coaches can best attest to the magic of each Olympic Games. For though both had varied impressions and different expectations (some unmet and some exceeded) of Sydney, their memories of it are singularly special.
"You are going to the world of swimming when you travel to Australia," marvels Teeter. "You can't understand how important swimming is to them. Their star swimmers, like Ian `The Thorpedo' Thorpe and Susie O'Neill have the stature of Michael Jordan in the U.S. Six-year-old kids know every swimmer's name. Everyone follows the sport."
But American swimmers were up to the task of challenging the Aussies' hallowed status, and one of Teeter's greatest Olympic moments was when U.S. swimmer Misty Hyman upset O'Neill, world-record holder and national hero, in the 200 butterfly.
"It was a tremendous victory for Misty, but it was eerie watching 500 Americans wave flags in the arena, while the remaining 17,500 fans just sat down. It really illustrated the pressure the Australian swimmers were under and magnified their capacity to deflate a nation if they lost. The upset was stunning in that respect."
Every swimming event seemed to share that stunning quality, as if the vaunted status of the sport demanded it.
"We'd get back from the pool and think to ourselves, `Wow, that was the best night so far. We can't get any better than that.' Then the next night would be better. It was like we couldn't help ourselves from being good. And the quality of the swimming overall in Sydney far surpassed Atlanta. It's great to look back at Sydney and realize you're a part of swimming history."
For Jordan, Sydney also held its superlative moments.
"You can get jaded, I guess, when you've done things like this [coach in numerous Olympics], but each Olympics is unique," he says. "For me, Atlanta was great for the obvious reason of competing at home, but the opening ceremonies are always special. Kathy Freeman's role in lighting the torch was very inspirational.
"We had a fairly experienced group of rowers in Sydney, but we performed below where we expected. It was still a great experience, though. The sites and the organization of the competition were by far the best of any Olympics I've been to."
Jordan coached many Princeton rowers on this American team. Paul Teti '01 rowed in the U.S. lightweight four, and Sean Kammann '98 and Kevin Cotter '96 (also an alternate in '96) were alternates for the U.S. team. Lianne Bennion Nelson '95 rowed in the women's eight. Mike Teti and Brad Woodrick, Princeton crew's assistant coach and boatman/rigger, served in the same capacities for the U.S. team. Many Princeton rowers were seasoned world championship medalists (including Chris Ahrens '98 and Tom Welsh '99), thus their fifth place in the men's eight was a disappointment.
Tom Herschmiller '01, similarly disheartened by Canada's seventh-place finish in the men's eight boat in which he rowed, still offered a special memory from his first Olympics.
"In the Olympic Village," he says, "we were grouped by country and there was a recreation room where you could hang out with your specific country and watch each other compete. I always watched the Olympics on television growing up, but watching the events here and actually knowing everyone who was competing was really amazing."
Herschmiller, who was joined by Morgan Crooks '96 in the Canadian boat, hopes that his experience in Sydney will give him added motivation for the upcoming crew season.
"I had so much energy and learned so much through this past year of training that I wanted to put into that [Olympic] boat for that race. It was definitely disappointing, but I hope it'll give me the incentive to start winning races for Princeton. I want to try to make an impact. That's why I race. I mean, there's nothing like winning."
With the fanfare of the 2000 Olympics behind them, accompanied by memories of both triumph and disappointment, these Princeton coaches and athletes begin the next chapter of their competitive lives at Old Nassau. They have returned to their respective training sites, still striving for excellence, still demanding the caliber of performance worthy only of the elite. Though the Sydney torch is extinguished, they press on, hungry for their next shot at glory.