University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Maddie Homovich
March 15, 2021 | Swimming & Diving, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Maddie Homovich knows the work she put in to get to Georgia, where she was an All-American in the 200 backstroke last year and will compete in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle and 200 back this week at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Greensboro, N.C.
A junior from the small town of Pittsboro, N.C., about 20 miles from Chapel Hill and 40 from Raleigh, Homovich during high school would often twice a day — the morning swim was at 5 a.m. — make the drive with her mom to swim practice out of town. Homovich put in a lot of work in those years, and she knows her parents, who didn't have a background in competitive swimming, did as well.
During a recent Quick Chat, Homovich talked about getting through this season, her start in the sport, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What does it feel like to be this close to the NCAAs and completing this season amid the pandemic?
Homovich: No one knew if we would get to this point in the season and I know that it was a year ago today that things got canceled, so I think we've just tried to take it one step at a time. I think that's been helpful, and I think we're all just really excited to get to this point.
Frierson: All in all, has the season felt pretty normal?
Homovich: I will say this season felt a lot more normal than I thought it was going to going into it. I know that at the beginning of the season it was a little different, we had a couple of different protocols than we do now, but luckily we've been pretty good this year. It's been a lot more normal than I thought it was going to be which is really nice.
Frierson: How did you get started in swimming?
Homovich: I did a lot of different things when I was really young: soccer, I think I did tap dance for a little bit, gymnastics. Neither of my parents swam competitively but I just really loved being in the water, and they wanted me to be water-safe. That kind of just developed into joining a team and so on and so on.
Frierson: I know Pittsboro is a pretty small town so I'm guessing you traveled to either Raleigh or Chapel Hill to train.
Homovich: Pittsboro is an extremely small town — it's about 25 minutes away from UNC's campus and Raleigh's a little bit farther. When we first moved to North Carolina I traveled to Chapel Hill and back for swimming, which wasn't too bad. I didn't have my license yet so a lot of it was my parents' responsibility. It was nice that they were willing to do that for me.
Around the age of 15, I made the decision to move teams and train out of a club in Raleigh, Marlins of Raleigh, so that was a much farther commute. Luckily, my parents were still willing to do that for me until I got my license. It was a little bit of a trek.
Frierson: Were you having to go back and forth twice a day, for the morning and the afternoon swims? That would be quite a commitment, for you and your parents.
Homovich: Yeah, definitely. The last couple of years of high school, I would have doubles three times a week. The morning practices were on Monday-Wednesday-Friday starting at 5 o'clock in Raleigh. My mom didn't want me driving that early by myself so she would actually wake up and drive me. I was very fortunate to have that and I would just sleep in the car.
It was a lot of back and forth, a lot of time spent in a car.
Frierson: Can you ever properly pay back your parents for that kind of commitment and support? There's a time commitment and a financial commitment, but having to get up at 4 a.m. is a commitment on another level.
Homovich: Obviously, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay my parents for what they've sacrificed and done for me in the sport of swimming. They know that I really love it and I think that they've always been very supportive, which has always been really great for me, just knowing that they always have my back and they're willing to do what they can for me.
Frierson: When you're swimming all of those freestyle laps, in the 500 and the 1,650, are you actively counting the laps as you swim, or are you relying on the little signs they put down when you make the turns?
Homovich: I count all of my laps. I usually don't even need a counter because a lot of it comes down to my strategy and how I want to swim each race. I kind of have to know, OK, after this many laps I'm going to pick up the pace.
Having a strategy helps me count the laps. Fortunately, we do a lot more laps in practice than I do in meets, so that helps me train for being able to count.
Frierson: When you're doing all of those laps in practice, what are you thinking about?
Homovich: I think it depends. A lot of times, my mind goes a little blank. I'm obviously focused on counting some of the time, and then the rest of the time is kind of up in the air. Sometimes having those longer swims and longer practices are a lot more enjoyable just because after a long day it gives me a chance to clear my mind.
It almost reminds me of journaling, where I kind of get all of my thoughts out. They don't go anywhere but I have them and then they're gone.
Frierson: Have you ever had a genius idea while you're swimming, whether it relates to a school project or whatever, but because you're swimming you couldn't write it down, and then it disappeared?
Homovich: That's a good question. I feel like I have and I can't remember any specific examples. Swimming for that long, I have to have thought of something clever.
Frierson: Where is the most interesting place swimming has taken you?
Homovich: I would have to say Hawaii. I have been there twice for swimming and you can't beat it. Getting ready to jump in the competition pool and you can see the sunset over the ocean in Hawaii — you can't beat that.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
Staff Writer
Maddie Homovich knows the work she put in to get to Georgia, where she was an All-American in the 200 backstroke last year and will compete in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle and 200 back this week at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Greensboro, N.C.
A junior from the small town of Pittsboro, N.C., about 20 miles from Chapel Hill and 40 from Raleigh, Homovich during high school would often twice a day — the morning swim was at 5 a.m. — make the drive with her mom to swim practice out of town. Homovich put in a lot of work in those years, and she knows her parents, who didn't have a background in competitive swimming, did as well.
During a recent Quick Chat, Homovich talked about getting through this season, her start in the sport, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What does it feel like to be this close to the NCAAs and completing this season amid the pandemic?
Homovich: No one knew if we would get to this point in the season and I know that it was a year ago today that things got canceled, so I think we've just tried to take it one step at a time. I think that's been helpful, and I think we're all just really excited to get to this point.
Frierson: All in all, has the season felt pretty normal?
Homovich: I will say this season felt a lot more normal than I thought it was going to going into it. I know that at the beginning of the season it was a little different, we had a couple of different protocols than we do now, but luckily we've been pretty good this year. It's been a lot more normal than I thought it was going to be which is really nice.
Frierson: How did you get started in swimming?
Homovich: I did a lot of different things when I was really young: soccer, I think I did tap dance for a little bit, gymnastics. Neither of my parents swam competitively but I just really loved being in the water, and they wanted me to be water-safe. That kind of just developed into joining a team and so on and so on.
Frierson: I know Pittsboro is a pretty small town so I'm guessing you traveled to either Raleigh or Chapel Hill to train.
Homovich: Pittsboro is an extremely small town — it's about 25 minutes away from UNC's campus and Raleigh's a little bit farther. When we first moved to North Carolina I traveled to Chapel Hill and back for swimming, which wasn't too bad. I didn't have my license yet so a lot of it was my parents' responsibility. It was nice that they were willing to do that for me.
Around the age of 15, I made the decision to move teams and train out of a club in Raleigh, Marlins of Raleigh, so that was a much farther commute. Luckily, my parents were still willing to do that for me until I got my license. It was a little bit of a trek.
Frierson: Were you having to go back and forth twice a day, for the morning and the afternoon swims? That would be quite a commitment, for you and your parents.
Homovich: Yeah, definitely. The last couple of years of high school, I would have doubles three times a week. The morning practices were on Monday-Wednesday-Friday starting at 5 o'clock in Raleigh. My mom didn't want me driving that early by myself so she would actually wake up and drive me. I was very fortunate to have that and I would just sleep in the car.
It was a lot of back and forth, a lot of time spent in a car.
Frierson: Can you ever properly pay back your parents for that kind of commitment and support? There's a time commitment and a financial commitment, but having to get up at 4 a.m. is a commitment on another level.
Homovich: Obviously, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay my parents for what they've sacrificed and done for me in the sport of swimming. They know that I really love it and I think that they've always been very supportive, which has always been really great for me, just knowing that they always have my back and they're willing to do what they can for me.
Frierson: When you're swimming all of those freestyle laps, in the 500 and the 1,650, are you actively counting the laps as you swim, or are you relying on the little signs they put down when you make the turns?
Homovich: I count all of my laps. I usually don't even need a counter because a lot of it comes down to my strategy and how I want to swim each race. I kind of have to know, OK, after this many laps I'm going to pick up the pace.
Having a strategy helps me count the laps. Fortunately, we do a lot more laps in practice than I do in meets, so that helps me train for being able to count.
Frierson: When you're doing all of those laps in practice, what are you thinking about?
Homovich: I think it depends. A lot of times, my mind goes a little blank. I'm obviously focused on counting some of the time, and then the rest of the time is kind of up in the air. Sometimes having those longer swims and longer practices are a lot more enjoyable just because after a long day it gives me a chance to clear my mind.
It almost reminds me of journaling, where I kind of get all of my thoughts out. They don't go anywhere but I have them and then they're gone.
Frierson: Have you ever had a genius idea while you're swimming, whether it relates to a school project or whatever, but because you're swimming you couldn't write it down, and then it disappeared?
Homovich: That's a good question. I feel like I have and I can't remember any specific examples. Swimming for that long, I have to have thought of something clever.
Frierson: Where is the most interesting place swimming has taken you?
Homovich: I would have to say Hawaii. I have been there twice for swimming and you can't beat it. Getting ready to jump in the competition pool and you can see the sunset over the ocean in Hawaii — you can't beat that.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
Back / Free / IM
/ Swimming & DivingGeorgia Swimming & Diving Last Chance Meet - Post Meet Video Recap
Sunday, March 01
Georgia Swimming & Diving Feature - Kennedi Dobson Profile
Tuesday, February 17
Georgia Swim and Dive vs Tennessee Video Recap
Friday, January 23
Georgia Swim and Dive vs Florida State & Arkansas Video Recap
Saturday, January 10