Suburban Life Athlete of the Week: Kit Schneider, Hinsdale Central, swimming, senior

Name: Kit Schneider

Sport: Swimming

Why she was selected: Schneider, who will swim in college at Wisconsin, won the 50-yard freestyle in 22.59 seconds and was part of Hinsdale Central’s second-place 200 medley, second-place 200 freestyle relay and fifth-place 400 freestyle as the Red Devils took second at the state swim meet. Schneider was voted the Athlete of the Week in an online vote by readers. Here is her interview with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

Welge: What happened in that 50 freestyle race and what was the key to the win?

Schneider: Honestly what helped me before were all my teammates. They were all super supportive, cheering for me on the side. I was obviously nervous – it is always nerve-wracking before such a short race. You just have to trust your muscle memory and feed off the energy in the stands.

Welge: You also won the 50 state title as a junior. What were your expectations going into this meet?

Schneider: I had no idea. The 50 free is so hard to predict. Anything can happen. There are a number of people who can creep up on you. Some people can have a bad day or a good race. I wasn’t expecting anything for myself. I was hoping to repeat, but this year there were some pretty fast girls and I had some good competition.

Welge: What made you decide to try the 50 free in the first place?

Schneider: It wasn’t really a decision. It just kind of happened. I used to be a backstroker. I was always a sprinter. It just kind of came naturally. I always loved sprinting and out touching people. I love the intensity of the race. I’m always super nervous beforehand. I get the jitters out and the blood pumping. Sprinting is my favorite thing.

Welge: How did you get into swimming?

Schneider: I remember the day. I came home, I never asked my mom for anything, but I had heard about this girl who had done something in swimming and I told my mom I wanted to compete in swimming. She signed me up for lessons. I was 7 years old at the time. From the moment I got in the water, I loved it.