Eva Reinander - Sydney, Australia
My swimming experience has made me a very healthy, strong, disciplined and resilient person, and I am proud of that.
Seoul Olympics was my target
"In 1987 I was part of the winning team at the Swedish swimming nationals, swimming the first leg of 4x200 freestyle. I did my best time ever, so did each of us on the team, beating the Swedish national record. This success was the extra spark needed for me to aim towards the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
“I graduated from secondary school in 1987 and moved to Mariestad with the focus to train and qualify for the Olympics in a year's time. The training was intense. Four of my training team mates were selected to swim at Seoul but I was not one of them. The journey to try to get there is something I will always value and cherish. And it enabled me to continue swimming competitively, study and see new parts of the world.
“I was awarded a full sports scholarship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. In September 1988, with two huge suitcases, I left Sweden to move to the US. I arrived in New York City, 20 years of age, with so many dreams; I can still remember the euphoric feeling stepping off the bus at Grand Central Station in NYC to catch a train to White Plains NY, visiting family relatives before making my way to Utah.
“Being on a swimming scholarship at university came with lots of expectations - fierce swimming competitions against other schools every week, with the aim to win overall team titles against the other school in the dual-meet competitions throughout the season. The season ended with the High Country Athletic Conference, HCAC.
“My best event during my college years was 200 freestyle and throughout my sophomore year my biggest opponent was a girl from our rival school, Brigham Young University in Utah.
“At HCAC in Las Vegas I qualified for the final, swimming in the next lane to her. She quickly opened up a little gap on me early in the race before I caught up and passed her late in the race. Although totally exhausted, I won the race in a personal best time, setting a new university record which was not beaten for many years. It is these types of memories that come to mind as I recall my university swimming days. I was so happy, and my coaches were so excited . . . the hard work had paid off."
Where it all started - learning and then loving swimming
"I think I have always loved the water. My mom says I spent more time under the water than above water as a toddler. My uncle Gösta taught me how to dive into the water in the Baltic Sea when I was four or five years old and mum thought it would be best for me to learn how to swim correctly, and well.
“It was in 1973 when I was five years old that I attended my first swimming lesson. My home town, Emmaboda (Sweden) had built a new 25m indoor swimming pool with a smaller teaching pool for beginners just like me.
“I was enrolled in the ‘lek och plask’ (play and splash) class at the swim school. This program was based upon recognising achievement in our learning, giving awards for accomplishing certain skills and milestones; for example, diving to the bottom of the pool, or swimming 25 metres.
“I completed all these tasks in rapid time, loving the challenge along the way. 45 years later, the medals are stored safely at my parent’s house.
“At the age of six I enrolled in a course to learn freestyle. I remember swimming back and forth in the teaching pool. All the other kids were older than me so I had a hard time keeping up.
“Being the youngest somewhat overwhelmed me and I lost interest, so around the age of seven I took a break from swimming. A year later a good friend encouraged me back, and we swam together with coach Brigitte. I found Brigitte wise and very calm, which allowed me to find my love of water and swimming again."
The hair had to go
"At the age of nine I decided that I was going to be one of the best swimmers in the world. Swedish swimming was on a high after the 1980 Olympics (Moscow) successes. Bengt Baron won the 100m backstroke, and Pär Arvidsson won the 100m butterfly. They instantly became my heroes! I had a huge poster of the two of them, with autographs, in my bedroom. It inspired me to set a goal to compete in the Olympics one day.
“And so my passion for everything swimming increased. Soon there was no time for anything else. I gave up singing in the choir, being a scout, playing instruments, the flute and the piano. Swimming took over.
“With more time in the pool I consistently improved my personal best times, and I started to do well in competitions.
“When I was 11, we had a young coach, Carola, and she was full of ideas and very passionate about creating a successful team. I came home one day and told my parents I wanted to join the swimming team for a two week training camp in Sicily, Italy. As I was the youngest person attending the camp, I would be chaperoned by one of the camp parents. My parents fully supported me, agreeing to my requests and obvious keenness to be part of the camp.
“At that point I had long hair, all the way down to my bum. Now the big question was ‘how would I take care of my long hair without mum being around?’ My mother and I quietly made a decision to cut off my hair just before I departed for Sicily. I still have the pony tail, a little reminder of my commitment to swimming and my determination to succeed.
“I remember that camp so well. I tasted pizza for the first time. I discovered Italian spices and parmesan cheese. Although I have experienced many trips since, numerous training camps and competitions around the world, I will never forget this first one."
The more the better
"My home town of Emmaboda is small which unfortunately did not offer the school or swimming programs that I needed to help me achieve my dream, so in 1986, just before my 16th birthday, I moved 200kms south to join a national swimming program in Klippan. I had applied a year earlier and the coach at the time said to me, 15 years of age, ‘you have big feet and big hands, I am sure you can be a successful swimmer.’ If I remember correctly I think Ian Thorpe was told the same thing when he was young!!
“A couple of my teammates from the club in Emmaboda had joined the program a few years before me so I did have some support becoming settled and included into the swim program.
“We trained a lot those days, the philosophy was ‘the more the better’.
“Very soon I was a member of the Swedish national junior team. I was so proud and I developed a strong self-belief which is still with me today."
Swimming was a family affair
"I am the oldest of three sisters. Both my younger sisters learnt to swim, became members of the swimming club in Emmaboda, and joined the groups appropriate for their age and ability. Eventually both of them became coaches in the club. Both mum and dad became involved in the club committee and parental support group. It was a true family affair.
“We three girls competed at swimming meets, which often meant weekends away, anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours from home. Our parents were fully supportive, driving us to meets, feeding us between races and cheering us on at all our events. Now as a working adult I have a great appreciation for the time my parents spent at swimming pools supporting us as we toured around the country. Many times we left the house at 6.30 am on a Saturday or Sunday morning, arriving home late in the evening. It was common to have the same routine on both Saturdays and Sundays.
“The swimming family’s weekend is a full commitment for all involved. I can only imagine how tired mum and dad were on Monday morning going to work. I have asked them about this in recent years and they said they enjoyed it . It was a lovely community for many years, with lots of fun memories and life long friends made.
“When I started to swim at Swedish nationals the whole family was involved. Although I would stay with the swim team, mom, dad and my sisters would either find a youth hostel or camping ground to stay for the week of competitions. This loving support helped me immensely. And my sisters were able to check out all the good-looking swimmer guys!"
It ended with a bottle of champagne
"My last race was at the WAC, Western Athletic Conference, in Las Vegas, in 1992. After a race, swimmers ‘swim down’, a period of time swimming at a gentle effort to allow the post-race recovery to take effect. Not this last time! I went straight to my locker to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the end of my swimming career. As I savored the taste and celebration of the champagne, I looked back with so many wonderful experiences and memories. But it was definitely time to move on. Being a curious and courageous person I knew there were plenty of new adventures ahead of me."
And now ocean swimming
"Arriving in Sydney in 2008 I discovered the numerous rock pools at beaches up and down the eastern coastline of Sydney. Our landlord at the time recommended the rock pool at south Curl Curl - a pool that sits tight into the natural rocks of Curl Curl, with the stronger waves often washing in and over the walls. Swimming in this pool had me hooked on swimming again, and now I swim regularly. I love ocean swimming. The sea conditions are different every time I swim and one has to adapt to whatever the ocean throws at you. So now the focus of my swims are being efficient in the unpredictable water.
“My winter swims, 2-3 times per week, are wetsuit swims with the sun adding extra warmth. In the summer I aim to swim four to five times a week. Apart from the rock pools I also swim in Lovett Bay or Elvina Bay, which are close to where I live.
“This means a minimum of 30 minutes swimming, including some variable speed and effort in the last five to ten minutes, working between fast and slow. I find this focuses my attention on my technique, with my habits of yesteryear naturally returning.”
“Today swimming is my meditation, as well as a problem-solving exercise.
“To help me continue to swim with some purpose, I look to enter at least one of the many ‘ocean swims’ we have in Sydney. I have raced in the Coles Classic in Manly (2000m), placing in the top 6 in my age group on most occasions. I have found that the older the swimmers get, the competition becomes more fierce and the times are quicker . . . Interesting!"
Where are the best places you have swum and recommend to other swimmers?
When in Sweden
The 50 meter outdoor pool at Ekudden in Mariestad.
The 50 meter indoor pool in Gothenburg
When in Salt Lake City (Utah,USA.)
Steiner Aquatic Center has a beautiful 50 meter outdoor pool with the view of the mountains as the backdrop.
When in Sydney
I love the rock pools in Sydney - South Curl Curl and North Narrabeen are ‘musts’
Living in Pittwater (northern beaches. Sydney) I have found my favourite spot is swimming between the jetties in Elvina Bay. At high tide you can clearly see the ocean floor and the fish circling the jetty poles, or the rays hugging the sand.
If you are a trained competitive swimmer I would definitely swim in the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. It has a special vibe. And the North Sydney Olympic Pool pool that is tucked in under the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.
And the swim that is on my ‘bucket list’
"I want to go swimming with the whale sharks at Ningaloo reef (Western Australia)."
Your non-swimming life
"I am curious and I love to explore and learn new things. This could be trying new activities or sports, or travelling the world to experience new adventures.
“After my swimming career I have tried many sports and competed in K2 marathon kayaking, ultra trail running, sailing keel yachts. All these sports require endurance and discipline to train enough to be able to do the races well. Currently I am learning sculling (rowing) but I have no plans to compete in this sport.
“My first job out of University was with Synectics Medical, a medical device company based in Stockholm, Sweden. I moved to Stockholm in March 1994 to start a new phase in my life. I have not applied for a job since then but been presented with fantastic opportunities along the way that have sounded fun and been real challenges. For example, I ended up in Maastricht, in the Netherlands, in 1987, working for Medtronic. In 1998 I joined the US company ArthroCare and was part of the team which set up its international operations in Stockholm, Sweden. ArthroCare provided me the opportunity to move to Australia. In 2008 I started a job as the Managing Director of ArthroCare Australasia.
“Currently I am running my own business, E3 Health Pty Ltd, with the motto ‘Explore, Execute, Expand’. In essence, I provide start-up companies opportunities in Australia. Currently I am involved with 5 different projects, including being the distributor for a washable pyjama pants for bedwetting adults and children called Pjama. The inventor of Pjama is an old swimmer and Swedish friend that I met at University of Utah back in 1988. The other day I hit an important milestone by selling 1000 Pjama pants since the launch.
“When I started my first job in Stockholm, Sweden, I wanted to find something fun to do and also to meet new friends. I joined a Gospel choir, Immanuel Gospel, where I was involved in another thing I love, singing. I sang with the choir for 14 years until I moved to Australia. During this time, I met wonderful people who are still amongst my best friends, including my husband Lennart Reinander. We were engaged on Manly beach during our first trip to Australia together, checking things out before moving here. We were later married, on 12-12-12 at 12.12, on Portuguese beach in Pittwater
“We own a house in Lovett Bay, living off-shore in the bush. It is a different kind of lifestyle which we both enjoy. We have also kept our house in Sweden, with our long-term dream to be able to share our time between Sweden and Australia and enjoy the best of both countries."
Finally - Eva, you have chased the ultimate goal, the Olympic dream, what have you learnt from your swimming life?
"Competitive swimming requires a lot of discipline and tenacity. It is mainly an individual sport requiring the ability to set goals and manage your time well to be able to achieve those goals. For nearly 9 years I trained between 15 to 30 hours per week. In addition I competed at weekends for many weeks of the year.
“I attended school at the same time and had good grades. Generally, swimmers do well in school. The University of Utah kept statistics of all performances including our grades and almost every year the swim team won honours for the best grades compared to all the other athletic teams. I was on the Dean’s list every quarter throughout my studies and had the best grades on the Women’s Swim Team. I think my first interview at McKinsey in Stockholm was because of my swimming background. The woman who interviewed me had worked with Bengt Baron, my swimming hero, and she was very impressed with the capacity and productivity of swimmers. Since then I have come to realise that a lot of swimmers go on to have very successful careers. Something I have kept in mind during my own working career and during the recruitment process.
“To be truly successful, swimming requires many hours in the pool. But looking at how competitive swimmers train today I probably swam too much and was possibly too disciplined, so when it was time to swim your absolute best I was overtrained and had not rested enough to be ready for competition. This could possibly be one of the reasons I did not achieve my goal of becoming one of the best swimmers in the world.
“But I have no regrets, and I have so much to be grateful for because of my swimming. My swimming experience has made me the person I am today, and I am proud of that”.
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