Q&A with Brooke Bielefeld

(Ryan Miller)

How long have you been swimming for?

I’ve been swimming for 11 or 12 years on club.

How do you handle and stay motivated during long practices?

Mostly my teammates, they motivate me because they keep me from getting in a negative headspace and they can keep me focused and being able to talk and talk about our days and laugh about whatever just keeps the energy up so they keep me motivated.

How do you handle stress during major swim meets?

Usually I just talk to my teammates and by motivating them, it motivates me. I can just focus on how well they’re doing, and cheering on other people and not to think about my races too much. Basically it’s not thinking about it too hard to not mess yourself up.

How would you describe the camaraderie of the teammates?

Our team dynamic this year has been really fun. All the girls are pretty tight and we have a lot of fun together doing stuff outside of practice and outside of meets and I think having this tighter team has really led to like a fun dynamic.

Do you have any favorite memories from the season? What was it like and how did you feel?

I feel like Sectionals is one of my favorites, just because every single person ended up with a season best, and we all did so well; it was really high energy and we already knew we weren’t going to win the whole thing so I think it took off a layer of stress and it made it more fun.

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Swimming into success: Q&A with Brooke Bielefeld

The Bagpiper

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