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Fourth-year Tony Colella and the Virginia swimming and diving teams are taking a break from their competitive training schedules to celebrate the Holidays and New Year. Both Cavalier squads return to action at Florida Jan. 7. In the meantime, Colella took time to talk with VirginiaSports.com about the break, his thoughts on the season so far and his plans after graduation.
Question: How would you describe the season so far?
Colella: Unbelievable to start. This year we opened up on a great note, compared with last season. We have been seconds faster in every event. Training is actually fun for the first time in a few years. It has been an awesome time on deck, really filled with emotion. It’s fun to be on a team that is moving up so quickly.
Question: What are your expectations for the rest of your senior year?
Colella: Last one, fast one. That’s what I’m thinking. The past three years, you think about how you have more swimming, you put in the work. This year, especially as of recently, I am realizing this is the last haul, the last push. There are two more months of my swimming career. I want to go out on a big note, and after that it’s done, so what’s two more months? Practices are more intense and I am working harder. Every single race I look to improve or do something different, as oppose to it being just another race.
Question: How did you get started swimming?
Colella: Honestly, my little sister, who is a freshman this year at New Mexico, did summer league swimming back in Roanoke, Va., when we lived there. I was always playing baseball or soccer, karate and stuff like that. I was good at it, but she would always come home with all these medals and ribbons and medals after her swim meets on the weekends. Truth be told, I wanted some hardware. So I went through summer league. I had a natural breaststroke kick so I started doing breaststroke and it took off from there.
Question: How did you end up at UVa?
Colella: It was kind of home. I moved around a lot. I was born in Pittsburgh, and we lived in Detroit, Roanoke, Atlanta and now I’m in Austin, Texas. I always considered Roanoke home so this was kind of a home team. I came on my recruiting trip and saw the camaraderie and the brotherly love the guys had. I just kind of new this was the place.
Question: Do you have a favorite Coach Bernardino quote or saying?
Colella: He gets so fired up. The one that comes to my mind is from the first year at ACCs. It was bar-none the greatest feeling I have ever felt. It was coming down to the end and we blazed on Friday morning. I was a freshman; I still didn’t know what was going on. Here is this coach yelling and screaming on deck next to me. It was after the 500 free and he started ranting and raving, we finished 1-2-3, and he throws down his clipboard, starts just jumping up and down and says, “Don’t you ever give up!” It sent chills through everyone.
Question: What is your major?
Colella: I am a chemical engineer major with an aerospace minor. It sounds technical and hard, which it is, and because of that I don’t want to go straight into engineering after fourth-year. I think I am going to stick around this summer. I am looking at consulting and looking at some different things, maybe in Virginia or Texas or Florida. But I’m still figuring it out.
Question: What has been your favorite class at UVa?
Colella: This past semester I had a 400-level E-School class that was creativity and new product development. The professor was a really cool guy. He would joke around in class and was very personable and approachable. His class, the way he does it, is basically unlearning, or at least coming to the realization that everything we had learned in the past three years is not necessarily going to help us in the real world. After we all graduate, what do we do then? You do the work, but that is basically proving yourself. You have to go out and express yourself to people, talk to clients, travel. It’s basically a new spin on life and business. It’s a lot of teamwork and competition and creative ways to solve problems.
Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Colella: Definitely the Lawn. It never gets old. Especially being in the E-School, I don’t get to go there a lot, which is maybe why it is still special. It’s breathtaking.
Question: What is your favorite event to swim?
Colella: It has changed over the course of my four years. When I came in, it was absolutely the 200 IM, hands down. Now that is about the longest race I swim. Now I would have to say the 100 fly or 100 breast are my favorites. It’s a toss-up.
Question: What are your plans for the holidays?
Colella: I am going home, back to Texas, for a few days. I am going to try to relax as much as possible but will still be swimming and lifting, of course. We don’t do anything crazy, all of my family is up in Seattle, so we will just be hanging out. I will get to see my two other sisters. Then we’ll be back here.
Question: Do you have a favorite holiday tradition?
Colella: Every year on Christmas Eve we do a fondue dinner, just the family. We all help prepare the breads and fruits and vegetables. Usually we do two cheese and a chocolate fondue. It’s nice; we drag it out and catch up.
Question: What is your favorite holiday movie?
Colella: I would say Bad Santa. I watched it last week, half of it by myself, and I was cracking up. Plus my dad looks like Billy Bob Thornton so it’s kind of funny. I guess I have a dry sense of humor.
Question: What about a favorite holiday song?
Colella: Anything my roommate doesn’t sing, which unfortunately is not much. Probably “Deck the Halls” because it’s so very jolly and uplifting.
Question: What was the best gift you ever received as a kid?
Colella: Super Nintendo. No doubt in my mind. I was l0 and my parents were not into the whole video game thing. They didn’t want it to rot my brain or make me be antisocial. My dad asked if I had anything else I wanted. He looked me dead in the eye and told me I wasn’t getting a Super Nintendo. I actually think he did mean it, my mom probably changed his mind. But it was the third present I opened. I played for the next week straight.