Junior Emma Wahlstrom established an impressive swimming career in her home country of Sweden and has brought her talent to the U.S. to become one of NSU’s top swimmers.
Wahlstrom moved from Sweden to Florida in 2013 so she could attend NSU and pursue a degree in business administration. She hopes to return to Sweden after college to establish a career in management.
Wahlstrom is no stranger to success in swimming. While swimming in Sweden, she earned nine Swedish Youth National Medals and one Junior National medal. Her swimming career has continued to flourish in the U.S. She finished in the top eight at both conference championships and national competitions. She was also a member of NSU’s Sunshine State Conference Championship team in 2015.
I got the chance to sit down with Wahlstrom and ask her a few questions about herself.
How did you get your start in swimming?
“It’s weird actually because I don’t have any family members involved in swimming. I just started off learning how to swim when I was a kid, and it just escalated from there. My swimming teacher said that she saw potential in me and told my parents that I should keep swimming, and I’ve just kept on going. So I’ve never really stopped.”
What events do you normally swim?
“I swim a lot of stuff. It really depends on what day it is. But I do swim the 100 and 200 backstroke, some sprint events, the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. All freestyle and backstroke, basically.”
What are your favorite events to swim?
“I like the 200 freestyle the best, I think. I also like the 500 freestyle on a good day. But I think the 200 freestyle is the best one for me.”
What do you think is the hardest part of swimming?
“I think it’s the amount of time that you have to put into it. It’s a very demanding sport, and everything has to be perfect in order to get a really good race. So I think the hardest part is the amount of time it takes in order to get better.”
How do you balance being a student and an athlete?
“I just sit down every Sunday and plan out my whole week. I plan what I’m going to eat, when I’m going to eat, when I’m going to study and what I’m going to study. I just try to plan everything ahead and go by a schedule, or I else I wouldn’t make it through the week.”
Do you have any coaches that have influenced you throughout your coaching career?
“In Sweden, I changed coaches a lot, and it’s a lot of individual training and your own responsibility, so I think I had more influential coaches here. Coach Holly, actually. She made me realize that I could do better in a lot of different events than I swam when I came here. So she made me realize that I could swim more than just two events, and that I really have to work hard to get better.”
What do you think is the most rewarding part of swimming?
“I think it’s the extra family that you get from the team, since we spend so much time together and practice together so often. You get so close with everyone. Even if it’s an individual sport, we get really close, and we’re still a team. Probably the biggest advantage that we get is learning time management, too. I think it’ll be really beneficial later on in life when we get into our professions. I think that’s going to be really helpful.”
What has been your greatest achievement as a swimmer so far?
“Back home, it would be my Junior National medals and Senior National medals, but here, it would probably be making it to Nationals and placing top eight at Nationals. And, of course, winning conference with my team.”
How does it feel to be one of the top swimmers on the team this year?
“I wouldn’t say that, but I feel like everyone has a big part in our success. My success is based not only on me but also on my coaches and my teammates. I feel honored to represent the team the way I do. I don’t see myself as a top scorer on the team ― I just contribute what I can to the team.”
Is there anything specific you do before a race to pump yourself up?
“Not really in-season, but at conference and nationals, I always listen to house music, Swedish House Mafia especially.”
How do you handle a loss in a race, or a loss as a team?
“I’m very competitive, so I get very angry in the beginning. I usually just get into my own bubble for a few minutes, and I just say to myself, ‘Whatever, it’s only one race,’ or ‘It’s one competition. We’ll get better.’ I don’t walk around being angry for a long time, but it really affects me a lot when we lose. But I know it won’t be there forever, so I just keep going on.”
What are your expectations going on in competitive swimming?
“I’m trying to take it one race at a time. Just focus on one race, otherwise, it would be way too stressful. I just try to make sure I’m in a good environment, like my teammates are pumped and making sure that we have a good team spirit, so that everyone can do their best.”
Once you’re done with college, do you plan to continue swimming?
“I haven’t really decided. It depends on what comes up with job opportunities. But I’m never going to quit swimming for life, it’s always going to be my main practice. I’m never going to stop, but maybe I won’t keep swimming on a competitive level.”
When you’re not in practice or at a meet, what do you enjoy doing?
“I love listening to music. I have a huge LP sound system, and I collect vinyl records for it. I like to hang out with my friends and family, and I really enjoy reading, too.”
