The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 ■ 43 Off the Deep End Even during Holloway's swimming days at NC State, he knew that the Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center that the team shares with University Recreation is not the best and brightest swimming facility for one of the nation's best programs. Though the pool located at the intersec- tion of Morrill Drive and Cates Avenue had a historic past, hosting the 1964 NCAA Championships and dozens of conference and exhibition meets through the years, it was hardly the same kind of Olympic- style facility used by the nation's other top programs. It was a huge obstacle for Yow in trying to attract a new coach in 2011, back when there was no money to even think about building an outdoor training facility or a replacement for the aging pool. The 60-year-old natatorium has two pools, a 25-yard competition venue sur- rounded by three sets of stadium-style bleachers for 1,000 spectators and a train- ing pool that is 50 yards in length and 25 meters in width. Plans before COVID were to build a new 50-meter-by-25-meter out- door training facility adjacent to the indoor facility, but that is now delayed. "I had been told before Braden was here, because of the pool, we will never be very good in swimming," Yow recalled. "'Why is that?' I wondered. I was told the pool doesn't swim fast. The water is only four-and-a-half feet deep in one end, it just doesn't swim fast, people aren't going to come here." Yow and her staff talked with architects and engineers asking what could be done. Many options were discussed, from raising the water level to digging down deeper in the shallow end. "I can't tell you how expensive that was," Yow said. "It was unbelievable, and it was complex because the pool is used by campus recreation and athletics. When I interviewed Braden, I said to him, 'Listen, talk to me about this. The pool is only four- and-a-half-feet deep on one end, and I've been told it doesn't swim fast and that's go- ing to keep us from recruiting the caliber of talent that we need to change the profile of the program, back to what it used to be.'" Holloway was prepared for the question and answered her then the same way he answered another interviewer recently. "Water is wet," said the coach. "From a training standpoint, we have lots of water, lots of lanes to work with. It allows us to go long course or short course at any point. It's fine. I didn't think it was ever going to be a detriment; it's just not new and shiny." In fact, with some recent refurbishments and technology tweaks on the swimming deck, the pool is not only sufficient for cur- rent needs, but has been a recruiting boon in some regards. Dutch swimmer Nyls Korstanje has been a member of his national team for years, with access to the best facilities and pro- grams his nation has to offer. When he was looking for a place to continue his swim- ming career, he wasn't convinced he would improve staying at home. "I was fortunate enough to train with the national team, which had awesome fa- cilities," Korstanje says. "They had huge funding, everything. They had everything except for a culture of winning, a culture that could lift you up. There were people slacking off and not really wanting to be better. "When I came here on my visit, I noticed how NC State swimmers had the drive to be better. They weren't in the comfort zone, they were always out of the comfort zone. I felt like that could make me a better swimmer." That's perfectly in line with the family- oriented, hard-working atmosphere Hollo- way has been trying to build since his first day on the job. "In the end, it's the people that make the difference," Korstanje said. "If you have a good coach, a good team, a good at- mosphere, that's what makes a pro a pro. Facilities are nice, and you can use them as great tools, but in the end, it's got to come from the inner motivation. "And Coach Holloway has given that to all of us." ■ " We were looking for specific things: Can he recruit at the college level? Can he make kids get faster? Can he inspire a program to raise their sights? Frankly, he has over- achieved our most optimistic expectations. Former Wolfpack NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist David Fox on Holloway Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. The Wolfpack women entered the 2021 NCAA Championships with just one diving championship in program history. They left with five swimming titles — three individual gold medals and two relay crowns — and a second-place team finish that is the best in history for both men and women. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS