Road to Sydney Goes Through Yugoslavia for Tustin’s Cavic

Someday, Mike Cavic hopes to swim for the United States in the Olympics. When he’s older, more mature and able to compete with the 20-somethings who dominate men’s swimming.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he plans to miss out on going to Sydney this summer.

Cavic, a sophomore at Tustin High, is close to qualifying for Yugoslavia’s team. He barely missed the time standard in the 100-meter butterfly (55.25 seconds) at the National Swimming Championships last month.

In July, he will try again to improve on his time of 55.32 when he competes in the European Championships at Helsinki, Finland.

“I’m still pretty young to compete for the United States team,” Cavic said. “You pretty much have to be top six in the world. Maybe eight years down the road.”

For now, he wants to be a quasi-expatriate.

Cavic was born in Anaheim but holds dual citizenship.

Danny Cavic, his father, came to the United States 20 years ago and started a business. He returned to Yugoslavia three years later and married. Danny and Lilly Cavic returned to the United States, where his business prospered.

No one in the family thought much about the citizenship question until three years ago, when they visited Belgrade. By then, Mike was swimming competitively and needed to maintain his training.

“My dad had some connections,” Cavic said. “He arranged for me to work out with a club team just to stay in shape. After a couple days, the coach asked me if I wanted to compete in a swim meet and I said, ‘Sure.’ ”

After swimming--and winning--for the Partizan team, coaches began to ask questions. When they learned he had dual citizenship, they put the Olympic idea in Cavic’s head.

“That has been my main focus the past three years,” he said.

He nearly qualified at the National Swimming Championships, even though he hadn’t shaved for the race.

“When I looked up at the time, I looked down at my arms and thought, ‘I wish I would have shaved them,’ ” Cavic said. “That would have done the job.”

SOUTH AMERICAN TRIALS

Meanwhile, down south . . .

Canyon High’s Erin Volcan is doing all she can to make the Venezuelan Olympic team. Problem is, officials from that country haven’t been too clear on the time standards.

“They keep changing them,” said Volcan, a sophomore. “I’m really not sure what I have to do to make the team.

“There are still plenty of chances to get the time.”

She is certainly doing her best to be noticed. Volcan won the 200-meter backstroke last week at the South American Championships in Argentina. She also was part of three winning relay teams.

Volcan is eligible for the team because her father, Jorge Volcan, was born in Venezuela. He moved to the United States when he was a teenager and married.

Erin began swimming for the Venezuela national team 1 1/2 years ago in the Central American Games.

LOOKING AHEAD

Mission Viejo, the county’s fifth-ranked girls’ team, faces No. 10 San Clemente in a South Coast League meet beginning at 3:15 today at San Clemente.

On the boys’ side, unranked Dana Hills (4-0) can win the South Coast League title outright by winning today at sixth-ranked El Toro. The meet also begins at 3:15 p.m.

El Toro is 3-1, having lost to Mission Viejo two weeks ago--the first time this season the Diablos (2-2) have had their entire team. Several key Diablo swimmers were away competing in the senior and junior nationals.

If you have an item or idea for the swimming report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at chris.foster@latimes.com