Erika Erndl, Still Getting Faster at 35 Years Old

by SwimSwam 20

July 16th, 2013 National, News

After the 2013 USA Swimming World Championship Trials, SwimSwam contributor Christina Wright sat down with T2 Aquatics’ Erika Erndl and wrote a piece about the impressive swimming that she’s doing into her 30’s.

At age 35, Erika Erndl is still swimming very hard, training six days a week with doubles on Mondays and Wednesdays, speed sets on Tuesdays, endurance on Fridays, drylands each day, and even swimming with parachutes and t-shirts. Most workouts are in the 5000 to 6000 yard/meter range.

“I’m probably doing more than people think I can do at this age,” she says after a morning practice of around 6000 meters. “People know me as a 50/100 freestyler, but I train more for the 200. I do a lot of power stuff.”

On this 4th of July morning she’s feeling sore; this is her first hard practice since resting for US World Championship Trials. And Erndl should be proud of her performances in Indy. She was 14th in the 100 free with a 55.43 (55.17 at prelims), 12th in the 200 free with a 2:00.04, 7th in the 100 fly with a 59.52, and 13th in the 50 free with a 25.65 (25.52 at prelims). These times weren’t too far off of her best swims. At the 2009 US Open she was 54.59 in the 100 free and 1:58.92 in the 200 free. At the 2012 US Open she went 58.75 in the 100 fly. And at the 2012 Olympic Trials she swam a 25.37 in the 50 free.

In Indy, Erndl was likely the oldest female swimmer in the pool—most of her competitors were born when she was in high school—but she doesn’t think of the age difference as a negative. “World Championship Trials was a good meet for me, but not a great meet,” she says. “I try not to notice the big age difference. I don’t view myself as less capable because I am 35. Since I returned to swimming in 2007 I have swum faster than ever did before. It doesn’t matter that I am 35—I am capable of doing better.”

Back in 2001 when Erndl graduated from the University of North Carolina there wasn’t an established post-graduate competitive swimming tradition. And unlike a lot of collegiate swimmers, Erndl never tired of the sport. “I never burned out,” she says. “I always felt like I could have done more and was capable of doing more. Now, there are more opportunities to keep swimming. That wasn’t an option in 2001.”

However, Erndl’s comeback was sort of a surprise—even to herself. Her husband Kevin was coaching a masters team, getting up at the crack of dawn to coach practices. “I would roll over in bed, tell him to have fun coaching, and go back to sleep,” she says. “But then one day I just decided to go to practice with him and that’s when the addiction started again.” Soon she found herself competing at a masters meet in Coral Gables, Florida where she placed 2nd and 3rd. “The hunger to compete was there and I told my husband that I wanted to make my Trials cut,” she remembers. “This was in 2007. I swam with the masters team for a few months and then I started training with the age groupers. And then I made my Trials cut in 2007. I thought, ‘It’s on.’”

Now Erndl trains with T2 Aquatics. Kevin Erndl started T2, or Transcendent Training, as a triathlon company. The motto for T2 has always been “Exceeding Ordinary Limits.” Once legendary coach Paul Yetter was hired the swimming side of the club became the main focus. “I’ve learned that there are a lot of different ways to go fast,” Erndl says. “But at T2 our philosophy is that we’re going to bust our asses and that’s how we will beat you. I try to have fun with the sport, but sometimes I have to check myself. Growing up I always loved swimming and had fun—it was just what I did. Now it is my job. I’m fortunate to have a husband to support me so that I can train full time and be able to recover and take a nap each day. I strive to strike a balance and to put things in perspective.”

So, what are Erndl’s goals going forward? “I am going to either the US Open or to Southern Zone Sectionals,” she says. “Or I might go to both and swim a couple events at each.” After that Erndl plans to really strike that balance between swimming and the other parts of her life. “I will take a break. I haven’t taken a break for more than two weeks at a time since 2007. I’m not sure how long the break will be,” she says. “If I could keep swimming forever I would. I have been working really hard since I came back. I’ve been very motivated to keep going. Fall will be a good time to take time off and to see what life is like without swimming for a couple months. I can never really plan it out. When I am training I do it 100% and I need to have another life. I need to be a wife.”

For the other “older” swimmers out there who are considering testing the waters again, Erndl has this to say: “If you think you might be one of those people that asks themselves, ‘What if?’ then get out there and make it happen! At least you’ll know that you tried! You can’t put any kind of limit on yourself. You can push yourself beyond where normal people think they can.” We will certainly be watching as she continues to push herself in the next few months before that well deserved break.

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CEO
10 years ago

Unfortunately it has been cubicle crazed mindsets like yours that make it socially difficult for swimmers to compete post college. Who cares about getting into the working class. Seriously. Life is what you make it. Do you really think all those people working in cubicles are thinking to themselves, “Wow I’m glad I am so out of shape and have no exciting athletic goals anymore”? NO. They aren’t. Erika is doing what she loves and so are all those people who you call prolonging their retirement. Swimming can be a life long passion and competition for those who choose not to be a couch potato. If they aren’t on food stamps why the heck are you judging. Zero income beats… Read more »

Southwest Florida
10 years ago

Kevin Erndl is a good person but what he did down there was absolutely atrocious. If you want to build a swim team, great. But what he did was not build a swim team, he basically bought a team that took years to build and fired the coaches that built it.

JoAnn Sullivan
Reply to  Southwest Florida
10 years ago

So glad the truth is finally coming out

ATLSWIM
10 years ago

I love what she is doing and envy her for being in a position to be able to afford full-time training. I would love to do the same but need to pay my bills somehow. So it’s one a days in the early AM with a full work day afterwards.
As long as she is motivated, healthy and has fun doing it – keep swimming!

Jg
10 years ago

Swimming with make -up. I have to hand it to her . I would like to look better but in the interests of skin protection in an outdoor environment I have 100 % zinc creme face coverage . As it is for kids – my current tube is bright pink.

There is very expensive invisible stuff but Like a parent I have to SEE it on.

Black skull cap , neon green goggles & fluorescent pink face is my current look.

Other than that – go girl.

Lane Four
Reply to  Jg
10 years ago

LOL LOL LOL Love it, JG!

Chris Sullivan
10 years ago

@coach … “inherit” was more of a behind the back take over and should be thank you to not legendary swim coach Daryl Sullivan that had Erica swimming her fastest before T2 was created and he was ousted by the wizard Yetter.

Coach
Reply to  Chris Sullivan
10 years ago

Touché, Chris
I gave a very political version of the scenario that took place at the Norris Pool pre “transcending”. Those that were part of the swimming community in southwest Florida will not forget the work that Daryl Sullivan and Tom Keer did to grow the sport in Collier County.

B. Dylan
Reply to  Chris Sullivan
10 years ago

“Even a pawn must hold a grudge”

Coach
Reply to  B. Dylan
10 years ago

“Statues made of match sticks, Crumble into one another,”

Chris Sullivan
Reply to  Coach
10 years ago

Nice lyrical quote Bob Dylan … ‘true men’ don’t hide behind anonymity

Coach
10 years ago

The major difference, and the only difference, between Erika and the other 60,000 Masters Swimmers swimming in the USA is that Erika was ranked in the top 50 in the World – in 4 events – in 2012, at age 34. Additionally she won 4 Medals at the 2011 Pan Am Games.

Had she retired at 33, she would have never won a Gold Medal in International competition!

I think the International Medal, plus the amount of personal progress she most likely made in the process of training to win it — is well worth it.

To propose that people are wasting their time being athletes- at any age-…is just too rigid for me. What kind of person… Read more »

Lane Four
Reply to  Coach
10 years ago

Thank you, Coach. Beautifully said.

Vlaze
10 years ago

While I respect her work ethic and realize she is still improving , I feel there are a number of swimmers in USA Swimming that are just hanging on for one reason or another, and need to retire or swim masters.
Not sure of the reasons for prolonging the inevitable (retirement ), but its got to be hard to get into the working class when you’ve been swimming full time until you’re 35 earning zero income and gaining no work experience.
If Erica and others love it that’s great, but at some point it’s time to move on and gain new interests. Dara was an anomaly- and age will start working against many of these athletes. Erica has… Read more »

Kalanvaxivikano
Reply to  Vlaze
10 years ago

She does not have to do a damn thing you say. She does not “need to retire or swim masters,” although USMS is a great organization of which I have been a member and is certainly every bit the equal to USAS in presenting the opportunity of a healthy and driven lifestyle for its athletes. You are not privy to Erika Erndl’s finances, experiences, lifestyle, family situation, or inner psychology. You are in no way qualified or justified to pass any of the judgments you just did. Not enough time has passed since Dara Torres’ last finish (4th place out of hundreds) to say whether she is one of a kind or the first of a kind. History will tell,… Read more »

alwaysaswimmer
Reply to  Vlaze
10 years ago

What a hopelessly outdated and narrow-minded point of view. What are your criteria for “belonging” in USA competitions? Why, in your inimitable judgement, must a swimmer “move on”? Who put you in charge of what other people do with their time? It obviously hasn’t occurred to you that it’s possible to have a career, a family, AND enjoy competing at a high level in swimming.

Open your eyes! Open your mind!

CEO
Reply to  Vlaze
10 years ago

Unfortunately it has been cubicle crazed mindsets like yours that make it socially difficult for swimmers to compete post college. Who cares about getting into the working class. Seriously. Life is what you make it. Do you really think all those people working in cubicles are thinking to themselves, “Wow I’m glad I am so out of shape and have no exciting athletic goals anymore”? NO. They aren’t. Erika is doing what she loves and so are all those people who you call prolonging their retirement. Swimming can be a life long passion and competition for those who choose not to be a couch potato. If they aren’t on food stamps why the heck are you judging. Zero income beats… Read more »

Coach
10 years ago

And thank you Swim Florida for providing this avenue for the Erndl’s at the Norris Pool in Naples FL. Plus a turn-key 100+ member program for T2 to inherit.