INDIANAPOLIS — It figures Becca Mann wouldn’t be satisfied to make the World Championships in only the open water events.
After all, in addition to home schooling and elite swimming, the 15-year-old has finished the rough draft of a 400-page fantasy novel, the Stolen Dragon of Quanx, that she hopes to publish soon.
“I’m rewriting the first couple of chapters because I wrote them when I was 11,” she said.
Her busy life makes those of her parents’ equally frenetic, given that she lives and trains on Florida’s west coast, and the family home is in suburban Homer Glen.
Her mother, Beth, with a job she can do long distance, spends two to three weeks a month with Becca in Florida, while friends and other family members take over the rest of the days. Her dad, Bob, a pharmaceutical salesman based in Chicago, and her two sisters hold down the fort in Illinois.
Sometimes. This week, older sister Rachel, 17, is in San Diego doing triathlon training while Becca is entered in seven events at the U.S. Championships at the Indiana University Natatorium.
“I don’t like to swim just one event or just the pool,” she said. “It’s too boring.”
Becca began with a fourth in Tuesday’s 200-meter butterfly and came back 90 minutes later to get 14th in the 800 freestyle, a finish based on times from the final and earlier heats. She went into the final as the fourth seed and wound up last, 16 seconds off her personal best and 19 behind winner Katie Ledecky, the reigning Olympic champion.
“I just didn’t feel great,” Mann said. “I was pretty disappointed. It won’t mess with the rest of my meet. I’m going to make sure I make up for it.”
Mann needed to be in the top two for a spot on the U.S. world team for the Barcelona world meet in the pool. Last month, she qualified for the open water events by taking second in a photo finish at the 10-kilometer national championship outside Los Angeles. In January, she was the first finisher overall in the 5-kilometer Tampa Bay Frogman Swim.
“I do most of my training in the pool, but I like that open water is … open,” she said, with a laugh. “You don’t have to follow the black line, you have all these different conditions.”
Even someone who can race more than six miles in open water might have backed off the double Mann tried Tuesday. She had no regrets.
“Usually I do that pretty well,” she said. “I think I warmed down too much. I’m just going to put it behind me and get ready for the 200 free (Wednesday).”
Mann made three finals at the 2012 Olympic trials, finishing fifth in the 800 free and 400 individual medley and sixth in the 400 free. She also was 10th in the 200 butterfly.
She went into Tuesday evening’s butterfly final as the second fastest from the morning prelims and then set a personal best of 2 minutes, 10.46 seconds. Cammile Adams, fifth in the 2012 Olympics, won in 2:08:10, with Maya Dorado second in 2:09.12.
“I wish I would have made (the top two), but it was still a drop in my PR, so I’m happy,” Mann said.
Related Links:
1. Olympic champions Nathan Adrian and Missy Franklin take charge in 100 free at U.S. Nationals
2. Locals Recap: Andew Seliskar, Cassidy Bayer impress on day one of U.S. Nationals
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