Meet Swimmer Kelsey Wog
Meet Bison swimmer & National Team member Kelsey Wog!
How did you get started in swimming?
I started swimming at age 7, with the I Can Swim program. From lessons I went to being competitive. As a kid I had one instructor said I could be really good, but didn’t know until 13 or 14 that I was good at breaststroke.
What made you sure that swimming was the perfect sport for you?
I started highland dance when I was 4 or 5. I always hated swimming as a kid, but stopped hating it and started liking it when I won my first provincials or something.
What would you say gives you an edge in your sport/what set you apart from your teammates/competitors?
I started dance before I started swimming, so I had some strength going in and a level of body awareness my competitors didn’t have.
After a disappointing race/performance, who/what makes you continue?
If it’s really important, I will cry. I try to remind myself that it’s only one race in the scheme of life, and that sometimes a bad race makes the good ones even better.
Think about your happiest moment in swimming. What was that like?
My happiest moment was also my worst moment. I finished third at Olympic trials in the 200m breaststroke in April. I was happy because I was so close and set a personal best, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for Rio.
If you could spend a day or week outside of training doing anything you wanted, what would you do?
I’d go to Africa, and go camping in the middle of a safari. I might go sky diving.
I’d also love to own or invest in a reptile zoo. I love animals and insects – I have a pet gecko, hermit crab, fish and chameleon right now.
What was the last book you read? Or blogs you regularly read?
I’m not really a reader, but I got the Clara Hughes biography for Christmas last year and read it over break. It was so good!
What are you most afraid of?
I’m afraid of a lot of things. Getting my hand caught in a blender, having an attacker climbing in window while I’m sleeping, whatever.
What is a misconception people have about you? (your sport/training/etc)
Most people think that be a swimmer you have to look like Michael Phelps or Missy Franklin: that you need a big build, long arms, and that you drink a lot of slurpees/eat big meals to get enough calories in your day.
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
In my first trials in 2014, I walked out for my final and went to the wrong lane. It ended up being the lane of girl who won. She was wandering back and forth wondering what was going on, but I was so focused on my race that my teammates couldn’t catch my eye to tell me I was in the wrong lane.
