My Carolina Experience: Joe Kinderwater
March 23, 2016 | Swimming & Diving
My Carolina Experience: Joe Kinderwater
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
Playfully referred to as “The Kinderkid” by friends and fans, Joe Kinderwater was an U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials qualifier before his freshman year in college. Add to that his All-America accolades in the 500-yard freestyle in his sophomore through senior years, state titles in the 200-yard individual medley and 500-yard freestyle, as well as earning a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team, and it's clear that he had no shortage of success even before his time as a Tar Heel.
As such, Kinderwater could easily have gone to programs that were higher ranked than UNC when he graduated from high school in 2007, but he was attracted to the potential in the team that then new Tar Heel head coach Rich DeSelm was building.
“I chose UNC for its academics, school spirit, and reputation. I had faith that I'd be able to grow in all aspects of my life by being a Tar Heel,” said Kinderwater. “I wanted to get faster, experience campus culture and build lasting relationships.”
The recruiting class that Kinderwater put his faith in was ranked as the third best in the country. Chip Peterson, who was one year Kinderwater's senior at Carolina, was another draw for him. Peterson was a mentor and motivator in and out of the pool for Kinderwater, and the relationship helped push him to get better every year at UNC.
“Coming to Carolina, I wanted to try open water swimming, keep up with Chip, and make NCAA's. Academically, I knew it would be challenging, but I had the end goal of continuing my education into medical school to drive me. My first open water race came in October of my freshman year with the 10K at Nationals down in Florida. The results from that race placed both Chip and I onto the first of two World Championship teams together.
“We continued to improve our national ranking each of my four years at UNC, and thankfully I remained injury free. I'm grateful for the consistency I was able to maintain during my years as a student-athlete, but I am also very thankful for the things that came along with my experience at Carolina.
“During my time at UNC, I experienced the importance of proper leadership skills through the Carolina Leadership Academy. I received a well-balanced education from the top exercise and sport science major in the country, while also exploring the possibilities of my German minor.
“I was also able to experience the work our student-athletes do in the community by participating in outreach programs put together by my fellow student-athletes and the administration. I took great joy in not only giving back, but in creating new and lasting college experiences for myself and our community.”
Amidst all this, Kinderwater was able to experience medaling at the 2008 Olympic trials in the 1500-meter freestyle while earning four NCAA Top 8 finishes which included two fifth-place efforts in the championship finals of the 1650-yard freestyle. He also recorded school records in the 1000-yard and 1650-yard freestyle, and became the just third men's swimmer in Carolina history to earn first team All-American honors all four years at UNC.
He accomplished all this in the pool while maintaining excellent grades in the classroom, and also excelling in his minor studies. That allowed him to be presented with the opportunity to live and work for a year in Germany after graduation through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange fellowship for German minors.
Though the opportunity to study and work abroad meant forgoing another chance to swim in Olympic Trials in 2012, Kinderwater has no regrets. Getting to a place where the draw of learning was more overwhelming than continuing his career in the pool was something his time and success at Carolina, ironically opened him up to.
“My time in Germany was worth the sacrifice, and as I sit here now as a first-year medical student in my second semester, it's refreshing to think back on all the memories. Those that have finished their athletic careers will agree, all that passion and competitive edge we have as athletes has to go somewhere and for me that is medical school. You learn to pour that energy into something else, and I'm excited to see what my future in medicine holds.
“As a student-athlete I took with me an understanding of well-rounded hard work, the importance of staying motivated, and a school spirit that is just as proud and intense as the first time I stood on the block wearing a Carolina swimming cap. At times it will feel like you're standing on a fine line between success and failure, but if you trust your training, your coaches, and the belief you and your teammates have in one another, it will take you far, so dare to think big and go after it.
“During your years at Carolina you enjoy it, but at times you will find yourself going through the motions and getting stuck in the daily routine of it all. Instead, take advantage of the many opportunities to get involved. At Carolina you have a chance to see improvements not only in your athletics, but in refining what it is you want to do once your athletic career comes to a close.
“It's when I graduated that it all came together. In my opinion the feeling of arriving on campus for an alumni weekend with your best friends and former teammates is unparalleled. UNC and the things that brought us together are what lie at the core of that excitement, and that to me is what it means to be a Tar Heel. Embrace that. “