Chico High’s Liberty Clark ready for U.S. Olympic swim trials – Chico Enterprise-Record

Liberty Clark, 16, has quickly made the leap to the highest levels of competitive swimming. The Chico High student is in Indianapolis for the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. (Contributed)

At just 16 years old, Liberty Clark already has a long history of competing – and succeeding – at some of the highest levels of competition a swimmer can face.

The fact that she manages to keep such a calm and collected demeanor while doing it can probably be attributed to this experience – and her swimming-rich family lineage doesn’t hurt either.

“All we do is swim,” said Clark, who is in Indianapolis today for the start of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials that run through June 23. “I don’t think much when I swim. Push the wall and do a dolphin kick.

His father, Brian Clark, has been a swimming coach for over 30 years and is the head coach of the Durham Dolphins. And her mother, Haley (Cope) Clark, won a silver medal in the 4×100 medley relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She also won eight medals at the World Championships and set a world record at the 50 meters backstroke.

Unsurprisingly, Liberty is now charting its own course.

At the recent Trojan Aquatics Invitational in Los Angeles, Clark had an entry time of 56.29 seconds in the 100 freestyle, the Olympic trials standard being 55.79. But she clocked 54.98 in a part-time swim final, securing her spot at the Olympic Trials while simultaneously setting a team record for the Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks.

She followed that up with a second try in the 50 freestyle with a personal best, 25.50 at the Santa Clara Swim Club George Haines International.

She will compete in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday and again on Saturday, June 22.

Long drive to Indianapolis

Clark’s journey to the Olympic Trials has been far from uneventful. Training daily from 5 a.m. and not returning home until 8 p.m. has become routine. She also juggled swimming and volleyball during her junior year at Chico High School.

“I would go from weight training to school, I would come home and I would take stuff and I would go to swim practice and then I would go to volleyball,” Liberty said. “It was a lot, it was hard to be motivated to go to school, but it was manageable.”

His father admired his sacrifices and commitment to the sport while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.

“I’m very proud of her, especially how much she was willing to put in consistently just to get this done,” Brian Clark said.

Her parents took on different roles in her athletic journey to ensure she had the support and help she needed.

Even though Haley doesn’t coach her, she has driven her to practices and attended all of her competitions. Liberty said her mother was always “tougher” but motivated and pushed her to work out and practice as much as possible.

“I’m trying to make it a little easier,” Haley Clark said. “I know she makes sacrifices, but you know, you try to keep your kids company. You try to make sure they don’t feel alone. You’re trying to make sure they feel supported.

On the other hand, his father has been training Liberty since he was 6 years old. One of her favorite things about her father-coach relationship with him is being able to receive help and motivation in different ways.

Reading the motivational quotes written on the boards during their workouts is something she always looks forward to. His favorite: “Beware of the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you’ll be lousy forever.

Long-time coaching help

In addition to the support of her family, Liberty Clark had help from other coaches, teammates and friends.

Pete Motekaitis, the former head swimming coach at UC Davis, is a longtime coach and friend of the Clark family. He helped coach Haley Cope as she prepared for the 2004 Olympics. Most recently, he had the opportunity to work with Liberty and witness her progress.

“The future for her, in terms of moving up the world rankings and in the United States, is, you know, really, really bright,” Motekaitis said.

Motekaitis, who now coaches Davis AquaMonsters, said limited access to training facilities in the Chico area poses a challenge for swimmers like Liberty.

However, he said, “working hard, improving and dreaming big” is the key to success.

A local challenge

Clark’s parents agreed that the lack of pools in the area was not only a challenge for Liberty, but also for other swimmers. For years, the Pleasant Valley pool has been shared by the community and several swim teams, limiting practices and use by the community.

“It would be really fabulous if we had a public pool that swim teams could use,” Haley Clark said. “We’ve struggled with that and the lack of pools since I’ve been an athlete in this area.

“It’s remarkable that she can do what she does with the amount of work she’s able to put in.”

Looking back on Liberty’s training before the trials, her father said watching her effortlessly swim faster let him know she had “reached another level.” And for Liberty, the next level will indeed be a different world.

Indiana to destination

Beyond the Olympic Trials, Clark announced she will continue her swimming career at Indiana University. Without looking too far ahead, she said competing in the NCAA championships and contributing to her team was part of her collegiate plan.

Before announcing her commitment to Indiana, she made seven recruiting trips to schools including: University of California at Berkeley, Ohio State, Indiana University, University Louisiana State, Alabama State, North Carolina State and the University of Louisville.

“Indiana seemed like the best fit. I love the coaching staff and the team is super friendly,” Liberty said. “They also have an outdoor pool, which I like.”

Home to several Olympians, the Indiana women’s swimming and diving program ranks No. 8 in the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America rankings.

To be where she is today, Clark said “there was no secret.”

“It took a lot of work. I ran over and over, over and over again,” she said. “Even in the competition where I had my first attempts. I had done this race, it was the fourth time I swam it in two days It seemed like a lot, but maybe if you put your mind to something you can do it.