Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy’s Kirsten Vose is News-Press Female Athlete of the Year once again

If 2013 was a breakout season for Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy swimmer Kirsten Vose, then perhaps 2014 could be defined as a brand-building campaign.

No longer was it a surprise for the junior to win Mission League individual and team titles or to thrive at the CIF Southern Section championships.

So, that’s exactly what Vose did.

On the back of winning four league titles and two divisional championships in 2013, Vose was a strong performer again this past spring.

The 16-year-old La Crescenta resident again won the league’s 200-yard individual medley, while setting a new league record in the 100 freestyle and joining up with teammates for titles in the 200 and 400 medley relays. That day, the Tologs earned the unprecedented distinction of winning all 12 events.

At the CIF-SS Division I championships, Vose and Co. finished sixth as a team, while the youngster was part of the divisional championship 200-yard medley relay squad along with teammates Katie Altmayer, Kate Herrill and Christina Campbell.

Individually, while Vose fell short of defending her individual 100-yard breaststroke title, she still shined in earning All-American swimming honors in six events over the course of the season.

Vose’s success again merited her selection as the 2013-14 Glendale News-Press Female Athlete of the Year.

Perhaps, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her around this time next year as well.

Recently, the News-Press Female Athlete of the Year sat down with sports writer Andrew J. Campa to talk about her season and her plans. Here are excerpts from that interview.

Andrew Campa: If you weren’t doing this interview, what would you be doing right now?

Kirsten Vose: I think I would probably be taking a nap (laughs).

AC: You’ve had quite a bit of success the last couple of years and have received attention, not just from us, but from other outlets. Is it easy to speak to the media? Is it something that comes natural to you or did you have to learn?

KV: My freshman year, I was terrified. [Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy Coach] Steve [Bergen] told me I’d have to do it, so I had to learn and talk through it. Now, I have the experience, but in the beginning I was totally nervous.

AC: What’s it like working with and learning from Steve?

KV: It’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot different perspective than club swimming. There’s so much competition with club swimming and it’s more stressful. With Steve and high school swimming, it’s fun and he provided a place with a lot less stress.

AC: There are a lot of opinions out there in regards to club sports and high school sports. What are some of the differences for you in swimming?

KV: For me personally, I think at the high school level it’s just a lot more relaxed. You don’t really have that club pressure until you get to CIF. The high school experience is about being with your friends and there’s just not as much pressure as in club.

AC: Sometimes summer for a high school swimmer can be just as busy as during the regular year. What’s up with you this summer?

KV: In summer we do double [practices] and we just keep preparing for big meets at the end of the summer. It’s just a matter of training hard and working hard.

AC: What’s your normal training regiment like?

KV: Well, right now we’re tapering, so it’s like an hour and a half to two hours a day. Other days, we’ll put in five hours of work.

AC: With such a workload, how do you keep it fresh practice after practice? How do you not burn out?

KV: My [club] coach Jeff [Julian] does a great job of changing things up. We never do the same type of workout over and over. There’s also something new and fresh. Throughout the week, we do different types of workouts. Some days, it’s sprints, some days it’s longer, it just depends on the day. Switching it up like that keeps it from getting boring.

AC: What’s the toughest part about the training?

KV: Probably just all of it (laughs). Sometimes it’s just really how hard you push yourself on the sets. Some sets could be easier if you choose the easy way out or you can choose the hard way. Really, just all of this is challenging.

AC: When I walk in the gym or any other spectator for that matter, they see your name on the banners and your name on the swimming and diving records’ plaque. What does that mean to you?

KV: It’s so exciting. When I first walked in here my freshman year, I was awed. It’s just so exciting to have my name here and it’s an honor.

AC: Whether you like it or not, you’re an ambassador for your high school and for your sport. When people ask you about swimming, what do you tell them?

KV: At this past [school] open house, I was sitting at the swim table and talking to people and it was so much fun telling everyone how fun swimming is. I tell them how great Steve is and how fun it is to be with the girls and how much of a family we’ve become. I feel honored to be able to tell people how much fun swimming really is.

AC: What about Flintridge Sacred Heart? Do people ask you about the school and about your experiences?

KV: The most asked question is ‘How do you deal only being with girls?’ No seriously, that’s the most asked question. My answer to that is that it’s so much nicer and the class sizes are so much smaller. And let’s be honest, guys can be annoying during class. So, you actually learn a lot more. For me, personally, it just worked out a lot better than going to a public school.

AC: Give me an idea about the college process for you. It’s obviously a big deal that’s coming up. Have you decided where you’re going?

KV: I’m still talking to a couple of colleges right now, but I haven’t made a decision. I probably won’t do that until October or November. I’m excited to be considering some great schools that I’d rather not mention yet.

AC: Since I can’t get you to tip your hand, what are you looking at with perspective schools? What is enticing?

KV: All I’m looking for is a school overall that will challenge me academically and will help me be a better swimmer. The schools that I’m currently talking to all offer that.

AC: Tell me about balancing academics with athletics with having a life, that’s pretty difficult. How do you do it?

KV: You have to be really efficient with your time. You have to go straight to doing your homework and not just hang out with your friends. Go straight to practice, then come home, just eat, do homework, go to sleep and then get up early for practice. You really can’t waste your time unless you’re not going to get it done.

AC: You seem like a natural in the water. Was swimming something natural for you or did you have to be pushed at first?

KV: My parents used to call me ‘water bug’ because I loved being in the water. When I was 10, I tried out for a swim team and my mom told me not to get my hopes up too high and told me that I wasn’t probably going to make it. I made the team and it’s been great ever since then. I’ve loved it ever since.

AC: With an ability to have selected any school you wanted because of swimming, why choose Flintridge Sacred Heart?

KV: Kate Altmayer, who graduated from [Flintridge Sacred Heart] and who swims Rose Bowl with me, told me about how great the school was. I was looking for a school that fit me academically and that had smaller classes. At a public school, the classes are just too big.

AC: What’s an accomplishment that you cherish or that you put above others?

KV: Swimming-wise, it had to be winning the 200-yard [medley] relay twice. Winning that with my teammates is special.

AC: What’s something that people might not necessarily know about you?

KV: Maybe that I love being outdoors and camping is my thing. I love to be out in the wilderness.

AC: Sports can involve superstitions. Are there any pre-race rituals that you do?

KV: No, not really. I mean I guess this could be considered one, but I like to be kept distracted before races. I have friends behind the blocks and I’ll goof off with them. I try to relax so I won’t overthink the race. I guess that would be it.

AC: The Mission League, across all sports, is one of the toughest in the country. To have a team that can say it’s the best in the Mission League in any specific sport is quite an achievement. What does it mean to belong to a team that’s the best in the Mission League?

KV: It’s really awesome, especially because we’re now a three-time champion. I’m really hoping for four next year. It’s just such an accomplishment and honor to say we’re the best.

AC: Do you speak to other competitors before events or afterward?

KV: I know swimmers from other schools and know other people from outside of school, so it’s not like we’re not going to talk to anybody. Most of the time, if there’s time, we’ll hang out with some of the girls. I think that’s normal.

AC: If you weren’t a swimmer, would there be any other sport that you’d have an inclination toward?

KV: Probably not. I really don’t like sports outside of swimming. It just doesn’t work for me. I tried a bunch of other different sports before I got into swimming and none of them went well.

AC: What’s been one of your biggest challenges over the last few years?

KV: Probably just the balancing of school, swimming, social life and other things. It’s just been everything together that is sometimes difficult.

AC: What appeals to you most about swimming?

KV: I guess it’s just how close you get with the girls on this team. Maybe that’s because this is a small school and you know every teacher and every coach, but with this swim team, there’s a real sense of family. It’s great to have that support and help.

AC: Outside of teammates, do people on campus ask how you did at specific meets?

KV: Yes. At school we have announcements every day, so everybody knows how you did. They’ll come up to you and congratulate you and sometimes there will be questions. It’s so much fun to have people talk to you.

AC: One of the bigger challenges in sports are cliques. Sometimes you’ll have athletes who are more interested in what’s going on personally and aren’t as interested in the team. Has that been an issue at Flintridge Sacred Heart?

KV: I think our coaches and Steve, particularly, have really made practice and the year about focusing on each other and for the team. I think that and just the atmosphere is great. We all try to help each other out and cheer for each other. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or senior, you’re part of the same school and the same team. That’s not just something we say, but something everyone does. When I got here as a freshman, some of the people who most made me comfortable were the seniors.

AC: Are you trying to get a personal-best mark at every race or do certain races have different purposes?

KV: I’m really only going for personal bests at the bigger meets like league finals or CIF. In league dual meets, sometimes Steve puts us in different races than you’re used to, so then it’s more about being versatile and scoring points than it is about going for top times. We do basically whatever Steve asks, even if it isn’t our favorites. Sometimes I’ll do the 100 back or 100 fly, events I’m not strong in, and we’ll just try to do our best. It’s kind of fun, especially when you mix it up and have to do something different or put in a different situation with different expectations. Steve knows what he’s doing.

AC: With your experience in the breaststroke, at what point during a race do you know if you’re doing well or poorly? Can you tell?

KV: It’s more a matter of feel. I can feel when my stroke is off and when I’m not doing something right. That gives me a chance to make a correction and get back to what I should be doing.

AC: What’s it like on the team buses when you’re on the way to a competition like Mission League finals or CIF? Is it relatively quite.

KV: (Laughs) Ah... no. It’s loud. It’s really loud, but it’s great. This year we have two buses because our team is bigger and that’s great. It’s just so much fun because you’re all together and you have an upcoming meet and you all are nervous and you want to talk to everyone. It’s fun.

AC: Five years from now, what would you have like to have accomplished? I believe you would be 21 then.

KV: Probably to have made the national team, the U.S. National Team, would be really exciting. That or to have an Olympic Trials cut. My overall goal for my career in general is to get a top eight at the trials. That would be awesome.

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Follow Andrew J. Campa on Twitter: @campadresports.