Whether it’s in the classroom or in the pool she excels. A high school salutatorian just months ago she is now a college newcomer ready for any academic challenge she faces. A former South-Central League Swimmer of the Year (Pueblo Colo.) she is now a proud member of the Pepperdine swim team.
Freshman distance freestyler Madison Krall hasn’t wasted any time acclimating time in Malibu and is determined to help push the team to new heights this season. With the team’s best 500-meter freestyle time of the season under her belt Krall has nowhere to go but up.
1. How and when were you introduced to swimming?
“My dad swam growing up and also in high school so when I was five years old I had my first swim lesson. I joined a team that year. We were the Pueblo West Cyclones. I didn’t like swimming at all but I stuck with it because a lot of my friends swam. When I was eight I switched teams and joined the Pueblo West Swim Club and swam with them until I was 11. The Pueblo West Swim Club and the Aquanuts joined teams when I was 12 and that’s when swimming started to become a big deal for me. It was the first time that I did well and it was the first time I made it to a higher-level meet. I started to like it more and more because I realized I was good at it. You tend to enjoy things you’re good at.”
2. What would you say is your favorite thing about swimming?
“My favorite thing about swimming is the fact that it’s a team sport where you always have your team members there cheering for you. But also I love that I can compete in individual events. Swimming is kind of like golf whereas your team is there supporting you but what you do in the water is a reflection of how hard you worked in the pool that day.”
3. What has been your most memorable accomplishment?
“My one highlight swimming moment was my sophomore year and my goal had been to break a minute in the 100 fly ever since I entered high school. For me breaking a minute would be a huge huge deal. It’s that barrier that you just always want to get to. We were at the league championships and I was seeded first in the 100 fly and for some reason that was the day I broke a minute. I swam a 59.94. It was so exciting. My family was there and everyone was cheering for me. It was something that I had been working toward for a really long time.”
4. What has been your most difficult adversity that you’ve had to fight through during your swimming career?
“I think the biggest hardship I’ve ever had to overcome was this past year. I was getting ready for the state swim meet toward the end of my senior year. It was kind of the last chance for me and I really wanted to go out with a bang. Our meet started the day after Valentine’s Day and my dad had had a heart attack the night before. Even though everyone was making a big deal about the meet and I had been working for it my whole entire season my entire perspective on things changed. I even considered not going to the swim meet altogether because I wanted to be with my dad and my family. It was really really hard. Ultimately my dad wanted me to go swim but I was such an emotional wreck. I still ended up doing alright at the meet but considering what had happened I think I performed well. It was a really tough couple of days and yet an eye-opener for sure.”
5. Although you’ve only been with the team for a couple months what’s your take on Head Coach Nick Rodionoff and how has his coaching philosophy helped you?
“I love Nick very much. He’s very funny and a really good coach. Swimming for Pepperdine is a lot different than swimming for my club and my high school coaches back home. I think Nick’s a lot more laid back and he realizes that we’re at Pepperdine for a reason. Swimming is important but school is also important. He’s really about making sure that when we’re in the water training and doing sets we’re putting as much as we can into it. Quality is really important to him and he wants us to swim well. He says we’re the ones that have to want to succeed if we’re going to swim well. I think that’s a really cool mentality.”
6. When the season is over where do you see the team finishing up and what are your team goals for the year?
“Our team goal is to win the conference which would be the first time ever. Last season the girls came in second to LMU and definitely should’ve won. It would be awesome if we could win this year. I think the way we’ve been performing now just goes to show that we’re only getting better – everyone is getting faster and everyone really wants to win. I think we have a great shot at it. It’s going to take every person to swim their best though.”