Pep Talk From Pinnacle Fuels Fund-Raising Swim

Even Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans had those days when she didn’t feel like getting up at 4 a.m. for her four-hour daily swimming practice.

“You just have to do it,” Evans, 26, told 81 members of FAST--the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team--on Friday afternoon, before their annual swim-a-thon.

“It’s like doing your homework. If you practice and work hard, you can be proud that you did your best.”

Evans, who represented the United States in three consecutive Olympic Games, broke three world records and won four gold medals, joined FAST when she was 9 and trained in the team’s 50-meter pool at Independence Park for nearly a decade.

“I have two idols--Janet Evans and Shirley Temple,” 9-year-old Alexa Levine said, after doing 52 laps in the swim-a-thon.

“I want to be a movie star like Shirley, but I want to go to the Olympics first, like Janet. She’s really inspiring.”

Evans’ pep talk worked wonders for the swimmers, who completed as many laps as they could in an hour.

They now will collect pledges from friends, neighbors and relatives, in the hopes of raising about $8,000 for team supplies and competition expenses.

Lauren Preston, 17, swam 228 laps. “Janet is the reason why I started swimming when I was 7,” she said. “She definitely is my inspiration.”

Said Coach Christine Sporman: “Janet didn’t say it was all so wonderful and glamorous. She told the kids that they have to work hard to succeed. It’s not impossible, and having her tell her story gets them saying, ‘I can do it too.’ ”

The event’s organizers reminded the swimmers and their parents that the pool officially has been named after Evans, originally of Placentia.

The team is selling tiles to raise money for a plaque, sign and display case to exhibit photographs and a biography of FAST’s most famous swimmer.

For more information on the fund-raiser, call (714) 879-6459.