Rising NC State junior David Curtiss offered an intimate glimpse into the “much-needed mental health reset” that he took after the NCAA Championships this spring.
The 21-year-old sprint freestyle specialist said he found himself avoiding the pool this summer “even though it wasn’t the root of my problems.” It took time away from training and working with psychologists for Curtiss to “locate the source of the mental block, break it down, and truthfully move past it instead of avoiding it.” Overall, the journey has reinforced his confidence heading into his third collegiate campaign in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“It really narrows down to this, my belief in myself, my dreams, and how I see myself have caused some issues within my life recently,” Curtiss said. “I lost what David was, and what he wanted to be in and out of the pool, and it has taken a toll on my motivation to pursue practice, ability to trust my coaches, and overall relationship with the sport and life. I haven’t been happy with myself as a person and it started bleeding into my career.
“I’ve tried to bulldoze my way through it, convincing myself it would pass and be fine,” he continued. “It worked for a while. However, this summer it stopped working and I found myself wanting nothing but to avoid the pool, even though this wasn’t the root of my problems.
“I’ve been seeking help from people to restore personal confidence and trust within myself and coaches, and have been working on myself. Taking time away was necessary as I needed to figure myself out, what I want with my career and life, and how to get there.
“With this time, I’ve reinstalled confidence in myself, my coaches, and allowed myself to see why I swim, why I compete, because I love the water and the people around me. It’s gotten better but I still have some stuff to work on, however I’m glad to be back and training regularly with NC State.”
Curtiss is coming off a sophomore season that saw him anchor NC State’s 200-yard medley relay team with an 18.21 split at the NCAA Championships, helping the quartet crush the NCAA and U.S. Open records with a total time of 1:20.67. He also anchored the 200 free relay that took bronze and placed 14th individually in the 50 free (19.10).
After an extended break from training post-NCAAs, Curtiss returned to racing at U.S. Trials earlier this month, where he placed 6th in the 50-meter free (21.89). His best time in the event is 21.76 from last June. At the TYR Pro Championships this week, he placed 9th in the 50 free with a time of 22.29.
Curtiss also picked up his first major international medal at the senior level during the Short Course World Championships last December. He earned bronze as a member of the U.S. men’s 400 free relay, adding to his hardware after winning silver in the 50 free (22.14) at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
As a freshman at NC State, Curtiss placed 15th in the 50-yard free at NCAAs with a 19.22.
Can NC State actually try to fix his 50 free technique? Dude has the most head movement I’ve seen and simply muscling through your races doesn’t work on the international stage
I hope he can work through this- just shows how brutally cruel and lonely this sport can be when you are chasing a line at the bottom of the pool day in and day out. Gotta find that balance in and out of the pool- at the end of the day, swimming is just a fraction of your overall life.
It is fun to swim fast — and fun to watch Curtiss swim fast. Go Pack!