University of North Carolina Athletics
Jack Messenger
Photo by: Barron Northrup
GoHeels Exclusive: Jack Messenger Q&A
October 21, 2019 | Swimming & Diving, Featured Writers
Throughout the 2019-20 season, key members of the Carolina swimming and diving teams will sit down with GoHeels.com to share their thoughts on the season and the program. First up is junior freestyler Jack Messenger.
• On building up to the new season after a long time between seasons
"It's a lot of mental preparation. We have our summer season, so it's kind of a different feeling in terms of training and meets. I was basically here in Chapel Hill the whole summer getting ready for the new season. I started working on more technique-focused stuff. When you don't have that metric of a meet to gauge how my progress is going, it's really important to work on the technical aspects of the stroke. When Coach Gangloff came in, that was something he hit immediately. 'Here's how to make your turns better, here's how to change your starts up.' He'd be getting up on the blocks with us, working on the super meticulous details and I've started to see the results already."
• On first impressions of Coach Gangloff
"He actually reached out to all of us and had us either call or Skype him within the first week after he was named head coach. Right off the bat I knew this was somebody who has the drive and the hunger to send us into a new chapter of UNC swimming and diving. There was something in the way he talked and the way he almost knew what the team needed coming in. The questions he was asking me on the Skype interview all seemed really focused on making a better team culture. He wants practice to be somewhere that we go and forget everything else - it's just us and the pool. Once we're in the pool, we're in a safe space where we can just work. And that's something that he's held to from the very beginning that I've really appreciated.
• On the emotions of the first meet of 2019-20
"I was nervous. We had our intrasquad meet a few weeks before and that gave me a good idea of where I was at, and I was confident. But I also thought this is the first real time getting in there and racing. I think once that first relay got going, it was like we were over a hill and the energy just snowballed."
• On getting the meet started on a high note
"I absolutely love having the first race. I like being in that relay because it's high-energy, everyone's a little jittery but ready to get in there. We had a pretty solid lead before I got in the water, so I just put my head down and went for it. After that, the meet just sort of flew by."
• On leading off the final relay with the meet still in the balance
"I was talking to Michael Baric after my 100 free and he made some adjustments to help me get out faster. I was racing next to the guy who out-touched me in the individual 100, so to touch the wall before him and my teammates got in the water, it was a great start to the race."
• On preparing for the Georgia meet
"We know what to expect from practice going into each week. We're not letting up. It's full force, working on all fronts - team chemistry, technique, starts, turns.
"I think the meet will be a good reality check. ECU is a very good team, they pushed us to the limit, but Georgia is a serious powerhouse. My freshman year we went down there and just got blown out. I'd like to see how the team does under that kind of pressure, how we bring the energy and keep it rolling even in some tough swims."
• On being an upperclassman and leading
"Coming in I just wanted to be part of the pack, get in there and do my thing and not really make any waves too soon. This year, with the fresh start we've gotten, getting to know some of the underclassmen, I do feel like I've got the opportunity to step up and lead. I'm always screaming at meets, so that's not changing. The new coaching staff has seen the leadership in some of us and is trying to help that grow and prosper, and hopefully I'm one of those who's been impacted by that."
For more information about the Carolina Swimming and Diving program throughout the season, follow @uncswimdive on Twitter and Instagram.
• On building up to the new season after a long time between seasons
"It's a lot of mental preparation. We have our summer season, so it's kind of a different feeling in terms of training and meets. I was basically here in Chapel Hill the whole summer getting ready for the new season. I started working on more technique-focused stuff. When you don't have that metric of a meet to gauge how my progress is going, it's really important to work on the technical aspects of the stroke. When Coach Gangloff came in, that was something he hit immediately. 'Here's how to make your turns better, here's how to change your starts up.' He'd be getting up on the blocks with us, working on the super meticulous details and I've started to see the results already."
• On first impressions of Coach Gangloff
"He actually reached out to all of us and had us either call or Skype him within the first week after he was named head coach. Right off the bat I knew this was somebody who has the drive and the hunger to send us into a new chapter of UNC swimming and diving. There was something in the way he talked and the way he almost knew what the team needed coming in. The questions he was asking me on the Skype interview all seemed really focused on making a better team culture. He wants practice to be somewhere that we go and forget everything else - it's just us and the pool. Once we're in the pool, we're in a safe space where we can just work. And that's something that he's held to from the very beginning that I've really appreciated.
• On the emotions of the first meet of 2019-20
"I was nervous. We had our intrasquad meet a few weeks before and that gave me a good idea of where I was at, and I was confident. But I also thought this is the first real time getting in there and racing. I think once that first relay got going, it was like we were over a hill and the energy just snowballed."
• On getting the meet started on a high note
"I absolutely love having the first race. I like being in that relay because it's high-energy, everyone's a little jittery but ready to get in there. We had a pretty solid lead before I got in the water, so I just put my head down and went for it. After that, the meet just sort of flew by."
• On leading off the final relay with the meet still in the balance
"I was talking to Michael Baric after my 100 free and he made some adjustments to help me get out faster. I was racing next to the guy who out-touched me in the individual 100, so to touch the wall before him and my teammates got in the water, it was a great start to the race."
• On preparing for the Georgia meet
"We know what to expect from practice going into each week. We're not letting up. It's full force, working on all fronts - team chemistry, technique, starts, turns.
"I think the meet will be a good reality check. ECU is a very good team, they pushed us to the limit, but Georgia is a serious powerhouse. My freshman year we went down there and just got blown out. I'd like to see how the team does under that kind of pressure, how we bring the energy and keep it rolling even in some tough swims."
• On being an upperclassman and leading
"Coming in I just wanted to be part of the pack, get in there and do my thing and not really make any waves too soon. This year, with the fresh start we've gotten, getting to know some of the underclassmen, I do feel like I've got the opportunity to step up and lead. I'm always screaming at meets, so that's not changing. The new coaching staff has seen the leadership in some of us and is trying to help that grow and prosper, and hopefully I'm one of those who's been impacted by that."
For more information about the Carolina Swimming and Diving program throughout the season, follow @uncswimdive on Twitter and Instagram.
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