Rising Stars: Ella Eastin
As of late, there has been a very big discussion within US swimming about the Veterans vs. the Rising Stars. It’s very interesting to sit and observe the up-and-comers ascend to the levels that we are used to seeing only seasoned pros at. What’s even more interesting, and most of the time much more refreshing, than seeing them swim ridiculously fast is hearing about their approach to swimming in general. What sets them apart from their age-alike peers isn’t the fact that they’re machine made swimmers ready for action no matter what; it’s the way they see the sport and themselves in it that truly allows them to perform at the same level as the big hitters.
Stanford freshman Ella Eastin is the perfect example of how young athletes should be approaching their respective sports, and really how anyone can approach striving for and chasing success. She’s got such a positive and humble perspective on where she’s at and what she’s going through in her first semester of college, even though she admits it’s not easy. She’s excited about the process of bettering herself and moving forward instead of worrying about the newly added pressures that come with starting life at a prestigious university (academics, athletics, professional future, social life… take your pick).
Rather, Eastin is able to give herself some breathing room, and realize she is only human and still growing just like the rest of us. She comments on the fact that even though she’s made great improvements and loves training with Stanford so far, Greg (Women’s Head Coach) and Tracy (Women’s Associate Head Coach) have made it very clear that she’s got a lot to work on. She speaks of using her team to bring her up on her down days instead of taking it out on the team or herself. She said she was intimidated to train with the best in the world, but kept an open mind and gave it a chance anyway, and 3 weeks ago we saw her go a time in the 400 IM that would have won NCAA’s last year. Moreover, Ella admits that being and training around these stars has led her to realize they are just like her; normal people, who have their ups and downs, but approach life with a similar positive perspective and hunger for success.