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Jeana Kempe has a lengthy resume in the swimming world. She was a college swimmer herself, competing for University of California Los Angeles and even making it as far as qualifying for the NCAA Championships. She then went on the coach club at Northern Arizona University where she was eventually offered a full time position as coach for the university's team. She fell in love with coaching during her time at NAU and eventually went on to coach at 3 major SEC schools for the next 10 years. 

Currently she is coaching at her highest level yet as the head coach at the University of Illinois. Throughout her experience coaching, Jeana has led many talented athletes to NCAA Championships and she's also helped many swimmers make it a step further to the Olympic Trials. In this interview I asked her all you need to know about the swimmers at this elite level. Read along to get a better picture of what allows these athletes to be as talented as they are.

What is an elite swimmer's attitude like during practice/towards training?

To generalize, these athletes always know that there is a greater purpose, practices are just a small piece of a bigger puzzle they need to accomplish. Elite athletes think of practices as day to day tasks they need to complete in order to be the best version of themselves in that moment. They focus on each individual practice, rather than grouping the entire week of training into one.

How do they act at competitions?

They use their resources [athletic trainers, nutritionist, sports psychologists, etc.] and they have a plan. Nothing changes from dual meet preparation to bigger meet preparation-everything is the same. They tweak their mind but their body knows how to warm up and swim fast because they focus on that in practice on a daily basis. They have the ability to turn off their mind because the body recognizes routine.

What are they like outside of practice?

Not everyone is the same, but the majority don't do anything extreme [to their bodies] on off days. Elite swimmers understand the balance of recovery, and they are able to perform at high levels because they are taking care of themselves outside of the pool. They prioritize swimming and school, then social life, and are able to create a balance. They are smart with their weekends and off days, and aren't always out until 2:00 AM. There are some athletes that are the opposite, and are still able to perform at the elite level, but that is not as common. 

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How do they interact with teammates? 

[As a coach] you hope that they're gonna be the best leaders. The most elite athletes being leaders helps lead teams to championships. They are leading lanes and setting a standard every day in the pool because that's what they want for themselves. They are holding others accountable to these standards and their choices reflect that. Every elite athlete should be leading charge in some area of the program,

How do they get out of a slump and how do they react to bad results in competitions?

There is an open line of communication between most elite swimmers and their coach, so they ask for their coach's advice whenever they're in situations like this. They are using their dietitian and athletic trainer and sports psychologist the most–most elite athletes are the ones who are utilizing all resources given to utmost success, and they realize that all of those people work together to help them to get out of slumps and keep lows not that low. They recognize those are the people that are most important to their success, and they know it's their job to seek these resources out for themselves, not the coach.

What are their most notable characteristics?

Attention to detail is the number one thing that sticks out–the type of people always trying to get better and their willingness to change.

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What is their relationship like with their coach?

Elite athletes tend to be the ones who have the best relationship with coaches.They respect any and all things said by their coaches, can have mutual conversations about success, and are able to collaborate together.

Any advice for athletes wanting to get to that level?

Stay on the correct path, have patience, be willing to try something different-use a new resource. It never hurts to add something different or be willing to take something away in order to succeed. 

What do you look for in recruits?

I look for people that are organized in the recruiting process, I look for height–the taller the better. I look for people that have big goals and understand what it takes to get to those goals, and people that have similar thought processes to me. People who have experience of competing at higher level meet, whether or not they were successful at the meet.

Just for fun, what is your favorite set to give?

3 rounds of 3x300s on 3:30. Round 1 is straight through, round 2 has a 10 second break at the 150, and the last round has a 10 second break at each 100. I like this set because it tests athletes physically and emotionally. It's easy to turn off during sets like this but when you push yourself you don't regret it.

Have a story idea or know an awesome athlete/coach we should interview? Email us at [email protected]

* Originally published on September 19, 2022, by Sammie Grant