Fall 2006 - City of Coral Springs

ecreation
A
Golden
summer
Leila Vaziri’s dream has become a reality, and many would
say she had a golden summer.
She began swimming at the age of seven, when her
mother decided to sign her up for swimming after moving
down from New York. Not in their wildest dreams did her
family know that 14 years later, Leila would find herself with a
gold medal around her neck.
Vaziri began swimming with the Coral Springs
SwimAmerica program. Within the first year, she mastered
her strokes and techniques, and coaches saw a future in her
right away. She joined the swim team and started competing.
During her senior year at Coral Springs High School, she won
the High School State Championships.
Vaziri, now 21, is a senior at Indiana University and will be
graduating in May 2007 with a bachelor’s in Communications
& Culture and a minor in Business. She also swims on the
University team.
But the past year wasn’t all fun and games for Vaziri.
Juggling school and putting in 5 hours of training each day
was starting to wear her down. “I felt like I was sacrificing so
much and I was frustrated because I wasn’t seeing results,”
said Vaziri.
All that quickly changed when something clicked and
Vaziri was once again in love with the sport. She was able to
get out of that slump and in the end came out on top.
In May, Vaziri won the 100M backstroke events ahead of
Olympic gold medallist Natalie Coughlin in the Eric Namesnik
Grand Prix at Michigan, making her a contender at the US
National Championships in August.
At Nationals, she came in once again in first place in 100M
backstroke, with a time of 1:01:69. Vaziri says backstroke is
both her favorite and best stroke. “It’s probably my favorite
only because I’m good at it and I can get away with being
shorter than most swimmers,” said Vaziri laughing. She’s only
5’6”, but she’s a bullet in the water.
In late August, Vaziri participated in the Pan Pacific
Games in Victoria, British Colombia. She competed against
Olympians and top winners from countries bordering the
Pacific Ocean, and ranked in second place for the USA team
in the 100M backstroke.
“It was incredible…to wear the official USA sweats at Pan
Pacs exceeded my expectations,” said Vaziri. “It was by far, the
greatest experience I’ve had.”
Statistics show that 70-80% of contenders who compete at
the Pan Pacific Games make it to the Olympics. Vaziri has set
her sights high and starting now, she will be training for the
2008 Olympics. Vaziri will also be participating in the World
Championships next year in Australia as the United States’
second-ranked 100M backstroke competitor.
“To see it all come together for Leila is an awesome feeling
as a coach,” said Coach Michael Lohberg, who has trained
Vaziri for the past 10 years. “If anyone deserves it, it’s Leila.”
The Coral Springs Aquatics Complex offers a variety of
swimming programs for all levels. For more information,
please call 954-345-5441.
14 • Coral Springs • Fall 2006 Visit coralsprings.org