Published: January 09, 2009 12:16 am      

ON THE SPOT: Evan Truman

New Albany swimmer a steady force for Bulldogs

By his own admission, the New Albany boys’ swimming team has yet to reach its potential this season, losing key Hoosier Hills Conference meets to rivals like Jeffersonville and Bedford North Lawrence.

That’s not to say Evan Truman is giving up.

The junior has been the Bulldogs’ most consistent swimmer for the 2008-09 campaign, sprinting his way to plenty of victories in his favorite race, the 100-yard freestyle, and making his case to continue his career in college.

As part of its continuing “On the Spot” series, The Tribune caught up with Truman after practice on Thursday to discuss his future, his love of the pool and his woeful hand-eye coordination.



QUESTION: It seems like a lot of the kids I interview are involved in multiple sports, but you aren’t one of them. Why is that?

EVAN TRUMAN: “I swim year-round, so there really isn’t time for other sports. I thought I might try track, but I have terrible hand-eye coordination and I’m just not very good at other sports.”

Q: What is it that you love about swimming so much?

TRUMAN: “I’ve just been doing it for so many years. I guess you could say I’m dedicated to it. When I first started out, it was just a sport for me to do. But then I figured out I was decent at it, much better than I was at anything else. So I just thought it would be better to stick to it and work hard at one thing.”

Q: Swimmers are known for their brutal practice regimens. Take me through an average week for you.

TRUMAN: “We have morning practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Then we have practice every day after school from 3-5 (p.m.), or whenever coach (Dutch Vigar) says that we’re done. We don’t do as much as yardage as some schools probably do, but we do a lot of sprints.”

Q: No crazy diet or anything?

TRUMAN: “(laughing) I eat a lot. No, I really don’t stick to a certain diet.”

Q: So I’m sure you want to continue this after high school, right?

TRUMAN: “I would really like to swim in college, but I haven’t talked to many people about it yet. There’s no certain college I’m thinking of or anything like that. I just know that if it’s going to happen, I’ve got to put in a lot more hard work.”

Q: OK, big question. Most female athletes tell me about their plans to go into physical therapy or sports medicine, but guys are a little harder to pin down. What are your plans?

TRUMAN: “I’m thinking about mechanical engineering. It’s something that really interests me and I’m good at math and sciences and things like that.”

Q: So what television shows are you into? Did you watch Rock of Love Bus on Sunday? Man, that was awesome.

TRUMAN: “I’ve never even heard of that.”

Q: What? No. Are you serious?

TRUMAN: “I’m sorry.”

Q: No, I’m sorry. Anyway, so a lot of big-name swimmers like Ben Hesen and Ariel Martin have been coming out of Jeff lately. Why don’t we see more of those elite swimmers at New Albany? Is that something you guys have thought about?

TRUMAN: “We have talked about it. I’m not really sure, but I think it’s because other schools are coached by the same people that coach them in club swimming. Most of the other schools have club swimmers and they are used to the coach and the staff and what they expect.”

Q: What club are you with and who coaches you?

TRUMAN: “Joe (Perkins) from Riverside Aquatic Club. He’s also the coach at Floyd Central.”

Q: Is that weird when you race against him during the high-school season?

TRUMAN: “(laughing) You know, I’m fine with it and I’m fine with beating him.”

Q: OK, give me the first thing that pops into your head. Favorite food?

TRUMAN: “That’s a good question. Really, anything edible.”

Q: Favorite movie?

TRUMAN: “The Star Wars series.”

Q: Last video game you played?

TRUMAN: “I have the 007 game for the (Nintendo) Wii — Quantum of Solace.”

Q: Do you guys wear those Speedos?

TRUMAN: “(laughing) We don’t wear those. Those are a little too much.”



EVAN TRUMAN

SCHOOL: New Albany

GRADE: Junior

SPORTS PLAYED: Swimming

PARENTS: Mark and Martha Truman