All About Elizabeth Beisel
By Kelley Lugea
The fourteen-year-old U.S. National team swimmer lets you in on her secrets in—and out—of the pool! Check it out!
How do you feel right before a race?
I feel really nervous. I get butterflies because I don’t want anything to go wrong. You want to be perfect and that gets your adrenaline rushing.
You can’t possibly race well every time, so how do you handle a bad race?
After each race I go talk to my coach. [Coaches] talk to you about what was good or bad. When you perform badly, you get really down and don’t feel like racing again.
What do you do to unwind when you get really stressed out?
I like to take a lot of naps. Sleeping, watching TV…those things take my mind off of swimming until I get into the pool area.
Do your classmates treat you differently because of your athletic success?
Everybody says, “Oh, it’s Elizabeth Beisel. She’s the Olympian.” They all know me as the “swimmer girl.” It can be annoying but, most of the time, it’s really nice. Before I leave for a meet they all say, “Good luck.”
What is your most embarrassing moment?
One time at a swim meet when I was younger, I really had to go to the bathroom. Before I could go they called my heat and I got on the starting blocks. When I got up there for the race, I just peed all over the blocks! It was so embarrassing because I was dry and everyone could tell!
What are some of the misconceptions about competitive swimmers?
After you come home from a meet, everyone at school always asks, “Did you win the meet?” But that’s not really how it works—you win your event. I wish people understood that. Also, people will say, “Wow! Are you going to the Junior Olympics?” And I’m like, “No…the real, big ones. Like, the Olympics.”
Do you ever feel like your non-swimmer friends just don’t understand all you have to go through?
They have no idea! There are days when I have to get up at 4:45 a.m. because I have swim practice before school, and then I go back after school to practice more. They think that when they have soccer practice three times a week for an hour that’s “dreadful.” I’m like, “Yeah, join the swim team!”
Is it hard to stay close to your school friends?
I’m always with my swimming friends at the pool, training every day, so it’s easy to stay close. Some of my other friends at school don’t have the same classes and I can’t see them as much.
Do you ever get jealous of other swimmers or your teammates?
I tell myself it’s not a big deal [if I don’t win]. It’s just one race and I will swim it 100 more times!
What traits do you think are important in a best friend?
Trust. If you can’t trust them, they aren’t good friends. They need to be funny, not dull. Someone you can tell anything to and who supports you a lot—who will be there for you. I have a couple of close friends like that!
Find out more about star swimmer Elizabeth in the June/July issue of Discovery Girls, on newsstands now!
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All About Elizabeth Beisel
I am so glad you have featured such a great role model in this interview. If anyone at all should win the olympics I hope it’s her. I’m happy she is such a positive person with great advice and down to earth. Thank you for interviewing her.
reaching her goal
Elizabeth Beisel is a great person to interview because she sets very good examples for all girls. She shows how that every girl can relate to her. Thank you for interviewing her.
Classmate
Liz Beisel goes to my school and was/is in a couple of my classes. She really is exactly how this articles makes her sound. She’s really nice, positive, and doesn’t go around bragging about her achievements. She’s a really humble, real person, and I really respect her for that.
great ro-model!
She is a great role model for us!!
role model
especialally me cuz i swim amd no wat she goes though, SO WORTH IT i love swimming
Elizabeth Beisel
Elizabeth is a great roll model for the sport of swimming and it was wonderful to see her featured for your readers in Discovery Girls! Keep up the good work and good luck!
Elizabeth Beisle
I’m so glad that an article about a swimmer was featured. I’m a junior oylmpic qualifying swimmer, and no one at school understantds how difficult it is to swim compeditivly
How does she do it?
It must be really hrd to never have time to relax ilke other kids do. It’s really cool that she has stuck with her dream and I wish her luck!
i know
I wish her luck too!!!!!!! It must be really hard!!!! i probally couldnt do it!!!!!! have a good time though!!!!!!!! Bye
wow this is shea (pronounced sh-a)
elizabeth is now one of my idols because she is keeping up her dream to go to the summer olympics.
U R so cool
When I grow up, I want to be just like you! I’m also a competitive swimmer. I hope to make it into the Olympics in Butterfly!
I'm a competitive swimmer,too!
Its kind of annoying when people ask if you won the meet Swimming is a totally different sport than most sports.When people ask me if i won the meet, I just tell them how I placed in different events. Its also frusturating when people make fun of you when you tell them youre a swimmer. SWIMMING IS A MAJOR SPORT!!! You have to have coordnation,endurance,and skill!
ps. i have that same suit, only its blue! You rock Elizabeth!
reply to~ i'm a competitive swimmer too!
I feel you! people are always asking me if i won or if i came in 1st but none of that matters! it is all about yourself and you personal bests and how well u compared to yourself not anyone else. I also agree with the people making fun of you if frustrates me when i tell them i’m a competitve swimmer cuz they are like oh so u pretty much do swimming lesoons but competitve swiiming is NOTHING at all like swimming lessons! i also find that people don’t understand when i say like ” yah i did really well i inproved by 1 second or yeah i did well i got a 46 on my 50 breststroke and they are like it takes you 46 seconds to do 50 meters ( i am in canada so our pools are 25 and 50 meters) of breaststroke and i am like yah and that is really good for me!
i get it
i totally feel the same as you, im a competitve swimmer as well in Canda, my friends sometimes just dont seem to understand. wow, a 46 is really good, good job!
Swimming is great and healthy
I love being on a swim team exept when boys say it’s a girly sport because it’s not boys and girls do it and it takes alot of time to do it people always ask did you win your meet but all I say is no I placed or I didn’t in one of my event’s but it’s not swim all year round we get about a month off in the spring. All I want to say is SWIMMING ROCKS
you are fantastic Elzabieth!
Elizabeth
I recently read the article on her in DG, she’s REALLY dedicated!
WOW
She is going to the olympics at age 14? Renember that when you turn 14. Do you think you could go to the olympics? Or even make your contry’s team?
I think it's fine~
I think being fourteen is a fine age to go to the olympics I know a girl who is really really good at swimming she got scholarships at like 12 places in places she’s probebly never even been before and she’s only in high school!
Swimming
Wow… I am like 13 and I am just swimming in state champs for the first time and maybe nxt year I might get to Far Westerns. DO u have any tips??
Swimmer 4eva
I <3 2 swim and i know how it feels, BUTTERFLY <3 i love butterfly and hope to make it to the Olympics, being young, and having a great time - not 2 brag :) - I hope I’ll make it there someday. and 2 u ppl who think swimming isnt hard…. i’ve got news for u, it is hard!! TRY IT!!
so inspiring.
Wow, she’s only 14 and already going to the Olympics!? I’m 14 and there’s no way I could see myself going to the olympics. she makes me think that you could do anything as long as you keep trying. that’s really impressive…
Swim Champ
I think Elizabeth is very talented. I love to swim,but I don’t swim that well! She is very dedicated and I hope she makes to the Olympics,because she deserves it.
Elizabeth Beisel
Wow! What an accomplishment. I wish I wcould do something like that. The best part of all about her is… she’s one of those people who after becoming, not famous, but very well known don’t get all snobby and stuck up. Elizabeth seems like a normal girl who is calm and collected, and funn to be around. That is kind of hard to come by these days.
Good luck with your swimming, Keep it up Elizabeth!!!
Swimming
I love this page. Im on a swimteam in Texas and we hardly ever hear anything big on tv or the computer so this is totally awsome and it means alot to all of us.
:-)Rosalie
Oylmpics rule!
I love watching the winter olimpics on TV. They are really cool and I love the sports like snowboarding. Or that thing when they race on the four weelers.
-larlar :D
swimmer
im a swimmer too so i can totally relate to this, its hard on your social life, but if you love it you should never stop. And yes, i hate the days where, you wake up at 4:00a.m. go to school and your friends complain about being tired where you know you have more swimming later on after school. Your like wow, that stinks for you. But im glad you put that in there some people just think, o swimmings so an easy sport. But it takes heart, and determanation.
Swimming
I’m also on the swim team it’s really fun because your getting up so early but only for meets but I think your a great romodel for kids because your following your dreams and that makes it really cool
I swim tooooo!
I am on the ymca swim team and I am almost ten but it does truly take dedecation and work you have to tell yourself why you love doing it but what bugs me is that people think that it is easy but it’s not! It rocks to be a swimmer but I haven’t made it to state yet. So I am going to say this now SWIMMING ROCKS!
U rock!
I hope that when I get older I will be able to make it into the olimpics in 500 freestyle and the 200 breaststroke I swim on the swim team it rocks but the only anoying thing is that some mean kids don’t understand it completly differnt than what they think and they think that I’m lying and boy’s also swim but it’s not easy at first it takes alot of time out of your school so there isn’t much time for school friends but that doesn’t mean that I’m not a normal girl
Elizabeth you rock!
Wish I could be like her
I think Elizabeth has outdone herself! She really does have a chance of being a world-famous Olympian! And for you DG readers out there who say, “OMG! How did you do this? I wish I could be like you!” you need to practice like her! It didn’t just come to her, I’m sure. If it’s something you like, do it all the time. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be swimming with Elizabeth!!! Who here agrees with me that you need to practice alot?
Yup, LOTS of practice...
I knew Elizabeth on deck when she was just a little peanut, and you could tell this girl was going places. The practice hours, focus, determination and faith present in kids like Elizabeth are truly remarkable. Go Elizabeth, we are ALL rooting for you and SO proud of you. (And I notice you are getting LOTS of air time on the internet!) And you inspire ALL you young swimmers( and OLD ones like us!) Coach Doug
PRACTICE
That took a lot of practice and Im sure of a lot of work-hard work. Would u risk ur lazy summer mornings to wake up that early to go practice?! She’s really inspired me. I love hip-hop dancing and she’s motivated me to do my best at all times!!!! Go after ur dreams, DG girls!!
i swim too
i also swim, and that exact embarrassing moment happened to me!
You Rock!
Wow i play sports to but i can’t imagine having that much commitment to one thing! You are so awesome! I hope you go to the olympics!!!
A dream may come true
I wish Elizabeth lots of luck. She sounds like a fasinating role model for kids and teens. I wouldn’t be able to wake up before 6:30am. She’s very competitive and it sounds like she puts a lot of effort into swimming!
awesome!!
I think its really cool that you put a swimmer in your magazine. A lot of people I know think that swimming is really easy, but they don’t know how hard we actually do work. I just think that Elizabeth is good role model, and she works really hard.
Way To Go
Way to go. You made a great ro model. Keep it up. We need more girls like this!
-Elizabeth (we have the same name)!!
XC Runner
That is so awesome. I am a XC girl myself and my team ( not my school team) are going to the nationals! I’ve never won, but I come pretty close and your right my friends have no idea how hard it is to be dedicated to a sport. I am pretty much sleep and breath cross country, but I love it so much. The wind in my face the adrenilin rush at the end where you sprint the last 100 meters, I just can’t get enough. I love being with my team we are really close and we all know what it’s like to be stressed out and be in a tough spot. Keep up the good work.
I So Understand
I know EXACTLY how she feels, i swim and you do have to get up really early!! one time i had to get up at 2:00Am It was torture!! And it is annoying when people say did you win, because you dont just WIN!!! Being a swimmer i LOVE how you feel when you dive into the water, start swimming and fell like your lungs are about to explode because you are holding your breath sooo long!! And making friends is a HUGE part of swimming, I have met people from all over the state, and come from around the country, they are usually in my normal events so i see them all the time, they became really good friends of mine :)
I met her at States one
I met her at States one year, she was pretty chill. Really down to earth. It’s nice to see someone from RI make it this far.
good Luck
omg elizabeth, i swam agianst you and i couldnt believe how good you are you have such a great talent! its incredible! I hope you do really well at the olympics and ill see you at highschool meets!!!
wowie
how does everyone know her???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
swimming rox!
thanx so much discovery girls 4 feturing Elizabeth Beisel in your blog. i swim on monday’s, wednesday’s, and saturday’s with a club for not only swimming but it’s a triathlon club. n e wasy its really nice 2 c somebody who really works hard 2 get where they r. olympics wow! good luck 2 u Elizabeth Beisel. thanx 4 being a insparation 2 me.
swimming rox!!
I swim 2! i am on a swim team and we practice monday-firday!!!! she is such an AWESOME hero for ANYONE! she is sooooo brave and she is only 14 and is AWESOME at swimming!!!!!!
JR. olypmics
my bff went to the junior olympics! she competed great, she is a swimmer
sweet swimmer
I swim too I wish I could learn from her