Splash.
This athletic, onomatopoetic action represents entry into aquatic solitude — the moment when the vibrato of frenzied spectators and the glare of your adversary from the neighboring lane become moot. The chase is quiet, with each refined, technically artistic stroke now more reflexive than labored. Your only companion, the black line below, keeps straight your course as you close in on your ultimate goal — touching the wall before the other guy. And in this watery venue, there are few athletes who have reached said goal with more frequency, class, or humility than Michigan-born dynamo Peter Vanderkaay.
“Once I hit the water, I’m just trying to tune everything else out,” says Peter, 26. “I just focus on what I can control, and that’s usually my strategy.”
At 6'4" and 205 lbs, Peter is a prototypical swimmer. Long, lean, and athletic, he appears cut from a mold of champion swimmers, but the real proof of his pedigree lies in his résumé. A glance at his recent accomplishments is convincing enough — the two-time Olympian (2004, 2008) has netted two relay golds (4 x 200m) and an individual bronze (200m freestyle) at the Olympic Games and he has won golds in the 4 x 200m freestyle at each of the last three FINA World Championships. Put simply, when he is in the water against the best, he shines.
His stroke, quiet and efficient, mirrors his approach to the turbulent waters of international aquatics, and a grounded, yeoman’s approach to his athletic edge should keep him splashing into the hushed, competitive shallows through London and beyond.
Peter Vanderkaay
Birthdate: February 12, 1984
Birthplace: Royal Oak, Michigan
Hometown: Rochester, Michigan
Residence: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205 lbs
Q: When did you start swimming?
Peter: I started swimming at about age 7. My brother and I joined a summer club team. We were one of those families that spent all the summer in the pool. My parents just wanted us to be active and get involved in some sport — it didn’t have to be swimming. We just started it early and kind of stuck with it. It was more about having fun than being competitive at a young age. All three of my brothers still swim competitively. But it was never too competitive — there was more horsing around than anything. We all kind of swim different events, so we rarely matched up against each other.
Q: Did you play any other sports growing up?
Peter: I played a little bit of soccer, tennis, and a few other sports, but I actually chose swimming exclusively around sixth or seventh grade. I think it was because I realized I was probably the best at swimming, and at that point it had started to take up so much time, I had to decide to go all-in or do each one halfway. I don’t think I would have excelled at any of the other ones! I’m not a very fast runner. Growing up, I was undersized. So with contact sports, I wouldn’t have been very competitive. As I got bigger, I got better at swimming.
Q: What do you love so much about swimming?
Peter: I think I have a much better perspective on this now than I used to. What I really love about it is the daily challenge. It’s not one of those sports where someone can put on a suit and be good all of a sudden. It’s a long, patient process that involves fine-tuning a lot of details to see the results you want to see. It’s about imagining yourself winning and then working towards that goal over a long period of time and having it pay off. That’s one of the best feelings in the world. I’m my own biggest critic. I challenge myself and try to improve on things in my past. I love to race and I love to win.
Q: Of your long list of accomplishments in swimming, is there one that ranks above all others?
Peter: There’s not one that really stands out head and shoulders above the rest. The two that stand out the most would be, one, winning the gold in Athens in the relay, beating out Australia by a tenth of a second. It was amazing because it was such a close, heated race the whole time. And, two, my senior year at Michigan, winning the 500m freestyle and setting the American record, which was a goal of mine. It was the last 500m of my college career.
Q: How does training for middle-distance swimmers differ from that for sprinters and
long-distance swimmers?
Peter: I train a bit of distance and a bit of sprint to work on aspects of both. It’s definitely tough. I’m more of an aerobic animal. I think if I work hard on both, it’ll all come together for me.
Q: Put your coach’s hat on for a second. What is the biggest tip you would give to recreational swimmers looking to get faster in the water?
Peter: I think the biggest tip is that if you want to improve at swimming, you have to spend a lot of time in the water. On land, every day you’re creating those same movements that you use in land sports — you’re walking, you’re running. But unless you’re in the pool, you’re not going to be using those shoulder muscles as often. Maybe watch someone you think has a good stroke or technique; once you do that, try to emulate it. I used to watch some of the best technical freestylers in the world. And it takes a long time — it’s not going to happen overnight. Just pick up tips on what they do and see how they got so good at that.
Q: A lot has been made about how much swimmers have to eat to keep up with training at your level. What’s your diet really like?
Peter: To be honest, I try to keep it as balanced as possible. I try to eat healthy every day — making sure that I’m doing simple things like eating colorful foods and eating the right amounts. I might eat more than the average person because I work out so much — but nothing crazy. I stay away from fried foods and candy and I focus on things that are going to help me recover.
Q: What do you eat before a big workout?
Peter: Before a big workout, something with a lot of carbohydrates because I’ll be burning through those. So something like a pasta dish with a little bit of protein to help my muscles recover and build. But on a daily basis, I try not to eat something too big. A PowerBar
® Performance Energy bar is usually sufficient, with a big meal later on.
Q: How do supplements, bars, and sports drinks fit into your training and competition?
Peter: They’re extremely important. That’s what’s so great about PowerBar
®. I can get up in the morning, when I’m not hungry enough to eat a whole meal before practice, and I’ll take a bar to practice and also have one post-workout. PowerBar makes a whole array of bars and gels that can fit whatever need I have — whether I just lifted or I had a hard aerobic workout.
Q: What types of injuries do elite swimmers have to deal with the most?
Peter: I’d say the most common is a shoulder injury. It can be from overuse, overtraining, not doing enough rehab, or bad technique on a lifting exercise. Most times it’s tendonitis. I try to prevent it instead of dealing with those. Fortunately, I haven’t had very many injuries. I’ve had some tendonitis and a few tweaks there — I’ve been very fortunate to keep my career going and not have any major setbacks. But even minor setbacks are frustrating, which is why I take the time to prevent that on a daily basis.
Q: Do you do any other training besides your swim work?
Peter: Besides swimming, I do running for cross-training, a ton of core work, and stretching and weight training to improve my strength and hopefully transfer that into the water and prevent injuries. I do preventative rehab stuff like stretch bands and foam rollers and things like that. We also do plyometrics. One of our coaches kind of runs a hybrid yoga workout — he calls it Core Crazies — that involves core work, stretching, and holding yoga poses. It helps in the water because swimming is all about body position and keeping that core intact. With the running, it’s mostly just hopping on a treadmill for 20–30 minutes as an aerobic supplement.
Q: How long do you expect to compete internationally?
Peter: I’m just taking it year by year. I’m working towards London right now. But I haven’t even considered international swimming beyond that and I’ll have to evaluate that as it gets closer.
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® Team Elite™ athletes or how you can join the ranks, click on the
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