Quance’s Big Event Won’t Be in Water

For the better part of a decade, Kristine Quance-Julian has known nothing but a regimented schedule.

A driven competitor, she always geared workouts--and life--toward the next big swimming meet.

“Every practice there was something I was shooting for,” Quance-Julian said. “It didn’t matter when. There’s always another big meet coming up.”

This summer, the big meets were the Goodwill Games and the U.S. Championships, which concluded Saturday.

But as her teammates and coaches from Trojan Swim Club competed in Fresno last week, Quance-Julian worked out in solitude at the McDonald’s Swim Stadium at USC. The Granada Hills High graduate missed the Nationals for the first time since 1989.

Quance-Julian, 23, has found other things to focus on, like the baby she is expecting in January.

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After she finished swimming for USC in 1997 by leading the Trojans to the NCAA women’s championship, Quance-Julian planned to compete through the 2000 Olympics.

She got off to a good start, winning two titles at the Pan-Pacific Games in Japan and qualifying for the World Championships in Australia in January.

But away from swimming, her life was changing dramatically. Quance-Julian began dating Jeff Julian, a former USC swimmer, and quickly became engaged.

“I’ve actually known Jeff since we were about 12,” she said. “I think I had a crush on him when I was 13 or 14. But we didn’t even know each other that well at school. But things just worked out.”

A May wedding was planned. But faced with increasing pressure to turn a small family gathering into a bigger affair, Quance and Julian eloped to Hawaii on April 24.

“One day we decided to do it and the next we were gone to Maui,” Quance-Julian said.

If eloping came as a surprise to friends and family, what followed was a shock.

A few weeks later, Quance-Julian discovered she was pregnant. Her swimming career flashed before her eyes.

“My first thoughts were really selfish,” she said. “I was thinking what this was going to do with my swimming. People have babies all the time, but I rely so much on my body and keeping in shape. I was just stunned.”

It took time for Quance-Julian to feel comfortable with her pregnancy. She discussed her options with Trojan Swim Club Coach Mark Schubert and her obstetrician. Workouts were no problem as long as she felt up to it.

“It was a big change for her,” Julian said. “She had everything all planned out. It took her a while to come around.”

At first Quance-Julian wanted to keep competing. She thought she could at least compete in the Goodwill Games. She hadn’t gained any weight and was still training twice a day, feeling good.

Then the morning sickness hit. Simply getting out of bed was a chore.

“I felt awful all day,” she said.

The last few weeks have gone better. Quance-Julian considered entering the U.S. Championships, which she qualified for in several events.

“I knew I wasn’t going to win, but I was interested in going up and swimming,” she said. “But I’m not supposed to push it. [At workouts] I’m fine, but once I get into a competitive situation I’m not sure I can trust myself.”

Her workouts have changed. Quance-Julian swims once a day for two hours, followed by limited weight work. Before, she would spend four to five hours split into two sessions in the pool.

Quance-Julian’s life is changing as well. She and her husband moved to downtown Los Angeles to be closer to Julian’s job as a stockbroker and to USC for workouts and classes. Quance-Julian needs three classes to graduate with a degree in communications.

When Quance-Julian gets frustrated, she leans on her husband, who retired from swimming because of a shoulder injury.

“It helps that I’ve been through some similar things,” Julian said. “But nothing like being pregnant.”

Quance-Julian watched some of the Goodwill Games on television and wished she could have been in New York with her teammates. But she has learned to enjoy the time off, especially this week with her swimming peers in Fresno.

“It’s too hot in [Fresno] anyway,” Quance-Julian said. “I like the time off in the afternoon. I can go shopping, to the beach, do stuff like a normal person.”

In a career of peaks and valleys, Quance-Julian’s lowest points centered around the Olympics.

She was expected to be a medal contender in the 1992 Olympics, but contracted mononucleosis and didn’t make the team.

In 1996, Quance-Julian was disqualified in her best event, the 400-meter individual medley, at the Olympic Trials. A judge ruled Quance-Julian made an illegal turn between the backstroke and breaststroke, a rarely called infraction at the world-class level.

She made the U.S. team in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM but did not reach either final. She did earn a gold medal for swimming a preliminary leg in the 400 medley relay, but the feeling of accomplishment wasn’t the same.

“A friend of mine was joking with me last year, saying when the next Olympics come around, you’ll probably get pregnant or something,” Quance-Julian said. “Maybe she jinxed me a little bit early.”

A comeback is not without precedent.

Crissy Ahmann-Leighton, Quance-Julian’s 1996 Olympic teammate, took two years off after having a baby before returning to competitive swimming.

“If anybody had told me a year ago I would be married and getting ready to have a baby, I would have said no way,” Quance-Julian said. “It’s taken a little bit of time, but I’m ready for it.”