Oct. 17, 2002
Bowling Green, Ky. - It pays to dream. Just ask Hilltoppers senior swimmer Gord Veldman.
Veldman, a native of Kingston, Ontario, realized a life-long dream this summer when he competed for the Canadian National team in both the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England and the Pan-Pacific Games in Yokohama Japan. Veldman was selected for the team by virtue of his second place finish in the 50-meter backstroke at the Canadian National Championships. He was fifth in the 100.
"Ever since I was young I would watch swimming on the television and felt a lot of pride when I saw Canadians competing," said Veldman, who finished 19th last spring swimming in the NCAA Championships. "Watching them excited me and made me want to keep going to reach that certain level.
"I thought I had a good chance to make the national team when I went to the championships, but at the same time I knew that it was going to take a career best time for me to make the team."
After making his first-ever national team, Veldman represented Canada in the Commonwealth Games July 30th-Aug. 3rd. The senior, who is a team captain for the second straight year, finished third in the 50-meter backstroke (26.53) and fifth in the 100-meter (57.67) in England to earn a spot in the Pan Pacific Games.
For WKU head coach Bill Powell, the heights Veldman has reached is somewhat surprising.
"Gord has really developed since he has been here," said Powell. "When he first wrote me about wanting to come here I looked at his times and put him at the bottom of the pile of swimmers we were looking at. Three months later, he had dropped six seconds off his time and I moved him to the middle of the stack. Three more months passed and he had dropped another six seconds so I moved him to the top of the pile.
"He is definitely a late bloomer."
Veldman says a re-dedication to swimming was the difference.
"I didn't swim a lot early on when I was in high school," said Veldman. "So, when I started swimming a lot more I was able to drop a lot of time quickly."
With swimming back as a priority and the goal of someday reaching the national team, Veldman developed into a swimmer that has had a tremendous impact for the Toppers. He currently holds both WKU marks in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events. His times of 47.96 in the 100 and 1:46.18 in the 200 are three seconds quicker than the second-fastest time in school history. He is also a member of the record-setting 200 and 400 medley relays and 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
He credits a strong work ethic, not to mention a focus on his goals, for his success.
"Swimming is not a fun sport to practice because you can't talk to anyone," said Veldman. "You have to find ways to stay interested in what you are trying to do. You can't afford to get distracted and lose your focus. If you lose your focus for a couple of days, it can really hurt your times."
In a sport where individual drive plays such an important role, Veldman says the trick to staying successful is to find things to motivate you and keep you working especially in a sport where two-a- days occur throughout the season.
"There are times when I have felt like not going to practice because I was tired, but then I just thought about my goals and dream of making the national team and it gets me going," he said. "In my time here, I haven't skipped a practice. Last year, the team worked out in the weight room three times a week and I went an additional day on my own. This year we're working out four times a week as a team so I don't have to do it on my own."
While he still has his sights on representing the Canadian team in the 2004 Olympics, Veldman has another goal this year. After finishing 19th in the 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. last March, the senior is eyeing an all-American season in 2003. To do that, Veldman would need to finish in the top eight in the nation at the Championship meet.
"My goal is to finish in the top eight and be an all-American," said Veldman, who was redshirted in 2000-2001 while battling pneumonia. "Last year, I was 0.06 seconds out of 16th place, which would have earned me honorable mention all-American honors.
"The NCAAs were the week after I made the Canadian national team last spring so I was more excited than nervous when I got there. I didn't know what to expect and I wanted to see some of the record-setting swimmers that were there."
This year Veldman feels more prepared to make an impact at the championships.
"The first couple of summers I didn't do as much training as I did this summer so I feel I am already ahead of where I was at last year," said the senior. I have a better starting point because I am not trying to get in shape right now. I have more of a base to begin with."
Powell did give Veldman a week off once he returned from Japan.
"I was a little tired when I got back," explained Veldman. "I took a week off when I got back, but I was ready to get going again."
"When he came back he was tired from all of the swimming," said Powell. "He spent the first part of the summer in California training with the Canadian team and then flew to England for the Commonwealth Games. He went to Canada after those Games and, since he qualified for the Pan Pacific Games, later he had to go to Guam to train again.
"He may be a little bit tired, but I think when you look at the situation and the experience he got, the gains far out weigh the minuses.
"Gord is still developing and I think he can still get stronger in the upper body. He already looks stronger this year than last year and I think all the training has really helped him."
The recent experiences with the Canadian team and trip to the NCAA Championship have only made Veldman hungrier and more determined.
"I had a taste of international experience this summer and want to experience that again," said Veldman, who has his eyes on the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. "But, my main goal is to be an All-American this year."
Veldman will take the first step towards that goal this weekend when he and his teammates head to Lexington, Ky. for the Kentucky Relays.
"This is a chance for the team to go out and have some fun, but also get some competition," said Powell. "The meet will be made up of events that they haven't competed in often. We will have three-man relays in each of the disciplines and several medley relays.
"It is a very low key, but it's a chance to get everybody in the pool. We probably won't pay too much attention to the team scores."
