Bibb has an Olympic-size goal

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers POWERFUL IN THE POOL- La Reina senior swimmer Emily Bibb will compete in the United States Swimming Spring Championships on March 27. She's already accepted a scholarship to UCLA and will swim for the Bruins in the fall. This Sunday, La Reina senior Emily Bibb will be taking a plane to New York to compete in the United States Swimming Spring Championships on March 27. If everything goes according to plan, Bibb hopes she can plan a trip to Beijing and London in the near future as well.

Bibb, who has committed to UCLA next fall, is currently ranked No. 16 in the nation for the 17- to 18-year-old age group in the girls' 200 freestyle event. Although she's already nationally ranked, Bibb is hoping for a lot more.

"My goal is to make it to the Olympics, either in 2008 when it's in Beijing or in 2012 when it's in London," Bibb said. "I'm hoping that I can soon move into the top 10 and then possibly in the top two. I would say No. 1, but I don't want to sound cocky."

Bibb first got into swimming when she was in eighth grade. According to Bibb, she was becoming bored with basketball and preferred being in the ocean. Bibb then joined the Conejo Simi Aquatics (CSA) team, and she hasn't stopped swimming since.

Emily Bibb Bibb made the varsity swim team in her freshman year at La Reina, and for the first time she started hearing people tell her that she had talent in the pool.

"It wasn't until my freshman year that I knew I was really good at swimming," Bibb said. "Coaches started to come up to me and telling me that if I continued to keep working hard, I definitely had a future in it.

"It was a good feeling to hear that stuff, and I really liked my freshman year because there were a lot of surprises. Everything I did that year I was doing for the first time, such as going to high school swim meets and traveling on the bus with the team. If I learned anything from the seniors that year, it was to just have fun."

Bibb's hard work paid off at the end of her first year when she made Junior Nationals. With the sudden success, Bibb started a rigorous workout schedule that included swimming for both La Reina and her club team.

"I work three days a week in the morning, from 4:45 a.m. until 6:30 a.m., and I work six days a week from 4 p.m. until around 7 p.m.," Bibb said. "If swimming has taught me anything, it's how to adapt to a small amount of sleep time.

"The only thing that stinks is that sometimes my schedules conflict. I will have to miss a La Reina meet because I am competing for the Nationals that week."

Although Bibb practices with her club team, her favorite memories so far in her swimming career are with the Regents.

"La Reina winning backtoback CIF championships for swimming the last two years has definitely been the highlight of my swimming career," Bibb said. "You get a lot of recognition for it, like a banner in the gym and patches on your school jacket."

While at La Reina, Bibb has rewritten the team record book by posting top Regent times in four events- the 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyle. Bibb was also a part of three relay teams that broke records for the 200 medley relay, the 400 freestyle relay and the 200 freestyle relay.

"She has been dominant since I've been here, and it's not uncommon for her to break her own record at meets," La Reina assistant coach and team moderator Joel Conary said.

"Although the 200 is where she is the most dominant, Emily is such a talented athlete that she is still a force in any of the freestyle events."

Last summer Bibb competed in the United States Swimming Summer Championships, where she gained more confidence to compete in the spring championships this week.

"I was a little nervous last time in the championships, but that was because I didn't know what to expect," Bibb said.

"It was quite an honor to be there though. I mean, you get to see all your role models and you are in this kind of worldclass atmosphere. It's weird when you look around and realize that you are racing against the best competition in the nation."

Although Bibb is looking forward to attending UCLA in the fall, Conary is glad to have her on the team for one more season.

"I think the Nationals this week is a good chance for her to compete with the best athletes and get some recognition," Conary said. "She has worked very hard and is a quality person. I think that she's going to succeed in every aspect of life, not just swimming."