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Third-year Jen Narum and the Virginia swimming and diving teams play host to in-state and conference rival Virginia Tech in its first home meet of the season Wednesday at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. Narum, a native of Pleasanton, Calif., recently sat down with VirginiaSports.com to talk about the team’s season-opening weekend, her interest in German and her all-time favorite Halloween costume.
Question: Are you excited for the first home meet?
Narum: It’s a comfort level when we get to race here. Our cheer at the beginning of every meet is “Hoos House? Our House!” and when we say that at home it really means something more. We are defending our own pool.
Question: Were you happy with the performances last weekend in South Carolina?
Narum: The first weekend is always interesting because we get to see how the first-years race and how they fit in to the team structure. How they swim when they are tired, whether they can step up. I speak for every upperclassmen when I say that we were so impressed with them. As far as a checkpoint goes, we just swam tremendously. That was really exciting.
Question: How is the team chemistry this year?
Narum: It’s awesome. Obviously when a team graduates and a new one comes in, it’s not trying to remake the old one, but it’s a new team. So far everything has been great. There hasn’t been any class divisions or cliques. We are picking up right where we left off.
Question: How old were you when you started swimming?
Narum: My parents threw me in lessons when I was five or six. I don’t remember at what point I switched over to year-round swimming. I would say definitely by the time I was 10. I was really into it.
Question: What do you love about it?
Narum: I think from the beginning I really liked it because of the competitiveness. The other team sports I didn’t feel like it was quite at that level of competitiveness because it was other people working together. In the pool, it is you and the person next to you and that is what I originally loved about it. When I got here, it changed because it turned into that kind of team thing. Now I don’t care how I do, I care how the team does. It is like being part of a family.
Question: What has been your favorite moment so far?
Narum: I would have to say the North Carolina meet last year. There was one point that stands out. I think it was the 200 free. I was standing on the deck, watching the girls finish the last lap. If you looked horizontal at the pool, you could see the four Virginia girls in a straight line, an entire body length ahead of the four Carolina girls. They came into the wall in two waves and we were 1-2-3-4. The feeling of amazement at what my teammates had just done and how excited everyone got, just winning like that was just so cool.
Question: What are the goals for this season?
Narum: Last year at ACCs we got 800 points and this year we want to get more. We want to do everything we did last year and do it better. We want to make a national statement. Last year we had a great ACC meet and I think we lost a little bit of the energy at NCAAs, me included. We need to focus on ACCs and then be able to refocus on NCAAs.
Question: What is your favorite event to swim?
Narum: I would say the 200 freestyle. I never get to do it. It is a short one for me, which is really nice. Since it’s not one of my better events there is no pressure. It’s a fun event for me.
Question: What is the hardest part about being a distance swimmer?
Narum: I don’t want to say it is the amount of work we do, because everyone works hard. But we are in the pool longer. We go for a long time with no breaks.
Question: What do you like to do for fun?
Narum: I really like to cook. A lot of people like to bake but enjoy making dinner; casseroles, chicken, making my own pizza. I love to read but unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time usually with my reading for my coursework. I read a book called Those Who Save Us and I am actually writing a research paper on it because I liked it so much.
Question: What is your major? Any future career aspirations?
Narum: I am majoring in foreign affairs with a minor in German. I would really like to live in Germany for a couple years. I haven’t really looked into jobs but what really interests me is something with a multi-national corporation like Audi for VW for something that would have American and German relations.
Question: What about Germany peaks your interest?
Narum: My parents lived there for a couple of years before I was born, so they are fluent. They never taught it to us but it has kind of always been there. In high school I took German because I figured my parents could help me if I got stuck. I really like it; it’s a cool language.
Question: What has been your favorite class at UVa?
Narum: This is really nerdy but I took a Music 101 class spring of my first year and I thought it was so interesting. We got to listen to classical music and learn about the composers and sort of the fashions of music as they change. I just thought it was so cool. I felt cultured and refined. I still have classic music on my iPod that I do my homework to or relax.
Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Narum: You have to say the Lawn. I also really like the amphitheatre; I think that is really pretty. But the Rotunda is just gorgeous.
Question: What has been your best Halloween costume?
Narum: I’ve had some good ones. My mom and I went all out when I was younger. When I was in fourth or fifth grade, my mom made me this shiny aqua body suit thing. Then I had a salad bowl and on the inside was these cellophane iridescent strips and I was a jellyfish. It was a fun one but all the bullies kept pulling off my tentacles.