Video Interview: Ella Eastin Reflects on Her Final CIFSS Meet and that 1:53.9 200 IM

Ella Eastin had a chat with SwimSwam’s Anne Lepesant at the conclusion of the CIFSS Division II championships in Riverside, California. Eastin, a senior at Crean Lutheran, helped steer her team to a division title with wins in the 200 IM and 100 breast, as well as the 200 medley and 400 free relays. Eastin set a national high school record in the 200 IM, and the Crean girls broke Division II records in both the 200 medley and 400 free relays.

Eastin talked about her races, as well as her upcoming plans to swim at the inaugural California State meet next weekend before focusing on the long course season ahead.

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Billy Howard
8 years ago

Her breaststroke has an unusual rhythm. At some points, it seems like she alternates between a really long glide and a shorter, more choppy stroke on every other stroke. It seems like usually breaststrokers are fairly consistent in their tempo with the exception of making an adjustment to their strokes when approaching walls.

bobo gigi
8 years ago

I’ve found a video of her 200 IM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnxJgr57Qag

Danjohnrob
8 years ago

People all over the world probably think the US has the best facilities. We DO have great facilities, but not in every small town or even many cities! I’m sure we have the MOST pools, but what you find are lots of (OLD) 25 yard YM/YWCA, JCC, Boy’s and Girl’s Club, public (sometimes only outdoor/summer), high school and college pools with age-group swim teams coached by generally hardworking men/women with varying degrees of knowledge and experience. That’s what a huge grass-roots program is all about! The good news is that most kids can find a way to learn to swim and compete if they have the desire. The bad news is that when a talented phenom arrives, they don’t necessarily… Read more »

bobo gigi
Reply to  Danjohnrob
8 years ago

Thanks for your point of view. Always interesting to read you.

cynthia curran
8 years ago

Let her enjoy her last year of high school. There are several people ahead of her for the Olympic team. I agree on the 50 meter pools in any state,

bobo gigi
Reply to  cynthia curran
8 years ago

I let her enjoy her high school meet. No problem.
But I disagree about her olympic qualification chances next year. That’s why I say: with more LCM training, just like her main rivals, she could surprise everyone in Omaha. 2.09 high/2.10 low and 4.33/4.34 will be probably required to qualify in the 200 IM and 400 IM. She has best times of 2.13 and 4.38. I don’t see why she couldn’t do it. You know, in one year, you can improve a lot at this age.

bobo gigi
8 years ago

She has started to train in long course only this week? 😯
That’s a little scary. Only 2 or 3 months of LCM training! After hearing that shocking news, I moderate my expectations about her summer.
But it looks like it’s unfortunately common for most of the young American swimmers.
Not the same reason but I heard yesterday Reece Whitley say in interview that he trained all year around in a 6-lane pool of 25 yards! Probably because he has no other choice. Imagine if he trained in long course at least half of the year. He would already have broken the 200 breast world record! 😆
Sorry but living in a country where that’s the… Read more »

TheTroubleWithX
Reply to  bobo gigi
8 years ago

BoBo, in the region I live in of well over 1 million people, there are currently two 50m pools, and one of them is not suitable for competition use. I don’t know what construction costs are like in France, but around here, it seems to cost $10-15 million for a decent 50m pool and facilities.

Crean mom
Reply to  bobo gigi
8 years ago

I live in So Cal and there is plenty of 50 m pools here. It’s up to the swimmers to decide what suits them most and if they want to focus on short or long course. There is a great deal of talent in high schools across the country. There were multiple HS records broken this weekend just in CA. We are not worried about the future of swimming in US. Great job this weekend Ella and congratulations to Crean for winning D2. It was a tight and exciting competition.

liquidassets
Reply to  bobo gigi
8 years ago

There are pluses and minuses to LCM training. USA swimmers, and other swimmers who have trained in the USA, have had disproportionately high numbers among the top underwater/breakout swimmers, and swimming more SCY than the average global swimmer may be part of the reason for that. If the USA cared half as much about SCM than LCM meets you’d see more evidence of that, too. And as for your comment about the world catching up, that may have as much to do with economics than with SCY vs LCM. Historically, fast swimming has often correlated with wealthier countries, and the rest of the world is catching up there too, relative to earlier decades, that is. If you’re shocked there isn’t… Read more »

bobo gigi
Reply to  bobo gigi
8 years ago

Thanks for your replies.
Liquid, I think that France does pretty well in long course for a decade now. Our swimmers are much better in long course. And I think that Bousquet, Gastaldello an Rouault have improved in USA on some technical parts like underwaters or stats but especially because they trained (or train) much harder physically and had (or have) much more competition every day in practice.

I agree. There are pluses and minuses to LCM training all year around.
Pluses: if you are enough talented to target an olympic qualification like Ella Eastin, in my opoinion you have to train in LCM like your main opponents Beisel, DiRado, Leverenz….in long course. The endurance is built in… Read more »

cynthia curran
8 years ago

Yeah, Crean has a good chance of winning it since it looks like a lot of the top schools in the state are not entering. Well, maybe some of the northern schools will. Ella Eastin has a chance of being a star at state if some of the others past the deal.

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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