From the time that he was 10 years old, Dal swimmer David Sharpe wanted to be Olympian.
This summer, he鈥檚 poised to get his chance.
At the Canadian Olympic trials in Montreal last month, Mr. Sharpe pulled off a come-from-behind victory in his signature event, the 200-metre butterfly. The win earned him a nomination to the Canadian Olympic team 鈥撀燽ut he won鈥檛 learn for sure if he鈥檚 on the team until later this year.
If his nomination is confirmed, he鈥檒l be the first Nova Scotian swimmer to compete in the Olympics since 1984, and the first male swimmer ever from the province. He鈥檒l also be the first Dal Tiger to compete in the Olympics while still a student.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the biggest meet there is,鈥� says Mr. Sharpe, who grew up swimming in the Dalplex pool as part of the Halifax Trojans swim club. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of the final step in terms of new experiences, other than how you perform of course. But in terms of going to competitions, it doesn鈥檛 get any bigger."
Overcoming the trials
His time at the Olympic trials, 1:58.81, set the Nova Scotia record. He entered his final race, though, ranked last among the eight swimmers after what he calls a 鈥渢errible鈥� qualifying heat, by his standards. His nerves were getting the better of him.
鈥淚t was probably the most nervous I鈥檝e ever been鈥 was thinking too much about what I was thinking and feeling, and not enough about the technical race. I had to calm myself down, make it about instinct.鈥�
The next day, in finals, instinct prevailed.
鈥淚 knew on the last turn it was close, because I could see the guy beside me in lane seven, Zack [Chetrat], and I saw [Stefan] Hirniak in lane four, and we were all really close. But I wasn鈥檛 thinking, it was instinct: 鈥榞o to the wall, drive, keep your head down.鈥欌��
On that final length, Mr. Sharpe鈥攈ead down鈥攇ave it his all, his hand touching the wall .02 seconds ahead of Mr. Chetrat. He had earned himself a likely spot on the Canadian Olympic team 鈥� certainly, a cause for celebration.
But that鈥檚 not really Mr. Sharpe鈥檚 way.
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 much emotion,鈥� he confides. 鈥淲hen I touched the wall, the first thing I saw was my team celebrating. Then the next thing I saw was that I finished first. It wasn鈥檛 overwhelming; it was something I knew I could do. It was another race; my bigger ever, sure, but just one more step to where I want to go.鈥�
Commitment to success
That鈥檚 not just confidence or modesty talking, though Mr. Sharpe demonstrates his fair share of both traits. It鈥檚 more that he approaches swimming with a clinician鈥檚 precision. There鈥檚 no doubt that he鈥檚 a science major as he walks you through a race; this is a young man who counts the strokes of his fellow swimmers when he鈥檚 scoping out the competition, and who picks apart every possible way he can improve his time.
He鈥檚 been swimming competitively since he was 7, and this past year鈥攈is third with the Tigers鈥攈e cut back almost all of his studies to focus on his training regimen. To call it intense would be an understatement: 18 hours in the pool each week, along with two dry-land sessions, one hour on weights and one massage session.
鈥淎nd a lot of naps to recover,鈥� he adds. 鈥淎s much as the practices are important, you need to let your body recover from that much activity.鈥�
He still swam with the Tigers this year too, winning gold in the 200-metre butterfly at the CIS championships plus adding two bronzes in the 50-metre backstroke and 100-metre butterfly. But he鈥檚 spending most of his time working with Trojans coach Aaron Maszko on his customized, Olympics-focused training regimen.
That鈥檚 fine with Tigers coach David Fry, who鈥檚 known Mr. Sharpe for close to a decade and couldn鈥檛 be more proud of him.
聽鈥淚t鈥檚 a tremendous accomplishment,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his is a young man whose commitment to the sport has never been in question. He can identify issues, but doesn鈥檛 shelve or forget them 鈥撀爃e lives them day-to-day, and is wonderful at reminding himself constantly of the things he has to do to get better. We鈥檙e all so proud of David and excited for him.鈥�
That said, Mr. Sharpe still makes some time in his schedule to work with Mr. Fry and the Dal Tigers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 where my friends are. It keeps me sane: you can only do so many practices by yourself, and having a team there is crucial to keep you motivated.鈥�
Looking ahead to London
In years鈥� past, winning your race at the Olympic trials would lock in your place on the national team. This year, though, the International Olympic Committee has capped the total number of swimmers from all countries at 900. Because Mr. Sharpe fell short of the Olympic qualifying time (1:56:86), he has to wait until qualification ends on July 3 to know, for certain, if there鈥檚 room for him on the roster.
鈥淚 just keep preparing in the exact same way as if I was on the Olympic team for certain,鈥� he says, adding that the team is fairly confident that he鈥檒l be able to compete in London.
Later this month, he leaves for Arizona to train with the team. While in the U.S., he鈥檒l be seeking out meets to compete in to improve his time; if he reaches that Olympic qualifying time in competition, he locks in his spot. One his Olympian status is confirmed, he鈥檒l leave for Italy with the team for two-and-a-half weeks of prep work in July.
As for performing in London, he鈥檚 approaching that question with the same clinical, step-by-step approach with which he treats his entire swimming career.
鈥淎s far as winning a medal, that鈥檚 like three or four steps away,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭he first step would be breaking the Canadian record: that would put me right on the edge of making semi-finals at the Olympics. I just have to go into meets expecting to break that record. And even if I don鈥檛, I have to move closer to it, second by second.鈥�
No matter what happens, the opportunity to represent AV俱乐部 and Nova Scotia is a huge point of pride for him.
鈥淚 used to be just like those kids,鈥� he said, pointing out the young swimmers practing in the Dalplex pool. 鈥淢any of the things I鈥檝e done, I鈥檝e been one of the first guys from Nova Scotia to do. Hopefully they can watch me and see that it鈥檚 possible to be successful swimming here in Nova Scotia.鈥�