Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2008 / St. John Neumann parishioner earns a bronze medal at the Olympics
St. John Neumann parishioner earns a bronze medal at the Olympics
by Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published August 29, 2008
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Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic
Allison Schmitt, an 18-year-old parishioner of St. John Neumann Parish holds the Olympic Bronze medal she won with the U.S. swimming team at this year’s summer games. In the background, from left, are her sister Sara, mother Gail, father Ralph and sister Kari. |
Canton Twp. — St. Paul wrote about Christianity in terms of running a race, urging Christ's followers to run so as to win the "imperishable crown" of eternal life (1 Corinthians 9: 25).
For Allison Schmitt, part of running that race is, well, swimming races.
A parishioner at St. John Neumann Parish in Canton, Schmitt competed in and took home a bronze medal from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. On her return, Schmitt acknowledged that her Olympic experience was thanks to not just coaches, trainers, and Team USA — but to Someone above it all.
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Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic
Allison Schmitt shows off her bronze medal. |
"God has allowed me to participate in swimming, and has kept me healthy throughout the journey that I've had," said the 18-year-old last week in her family's Canton home. "He's given me the talent to be a part of that experience."
Schmitt's performance in part of a four-woman team in the 4x200 freestyle relay on Aug. 14 earned her a spot on the winner's podium and capped what she called a "whirlwind" summer. As the summer break began after her senior year at Canton High School, she didn't know she would spend two months in southern California, Singapore and eventually China for the 2008 summer games.
Two years ago, while swimming for her school and local swimming clubs, her performances qualified her to try out for the Olympics. In late June, she showed up for the trials. Within days, she was in — and was an instant celebrity.
She recalls being at the tryout facilities in Omaha and learning the news that she would be on Team USA.
"We just got mobbed with people following us," she said. "It was weird that people were actually asking us for our autographs."
From there started the intense preparation, moving from one location to the next every couple of weeks. She joined up with 43 other swimmers on the U.S. Olympic team, first practicing at the facilities at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., then moving to Singapore to continue preparations. Shortly before the games began, she was in the Olympic Village in Beijing.
"It was really overwhelming," she said. "It was just a great experience."
The frequent changes of scenery weren't the only challenges she faced prior to the games. Having rested up prior to tryouts, she found herself quickly in intense physical preparation. And in China, as part of team USA, her schedule was packed tight — pool time, meetings, lunches, watching other competitors, etc. "We were always on a schedule," she said. "We always had something to do."
As part of Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor — a swimming club which this year produced four Olympians, including Schmitt and the famous Michael Phelps — she had heard stories from former Olympians about what she might expect to experience at the games.
She had the chance to take in a little Chinese culture, bartering at a local silk market, and even to drink in a little fame with an appearance on NBC's "Today Show."
Her fondest memories, she said, were those of the bonds formed with fellow teammates.
"One of the best things was getting close with the other athletes," said Schmitt, who roomed with teammate Caroline Burckle of Louiseville, Ky. "By the end of the trip, we all just felt like family because of the bonds and memories we made together. It will last us forever, and we can lean on each other for help and support."
Support was something Schmitt also got plenty of from her family. The middle child of five, her parents, Ralph and Gail, spent a week in China to watch Allison.
"It was kind of surreal," said Ralph Schmitt. "She's worked so hard at it, put a lot of time into it. She's got some God-given talent and she's used that talent, cultivated it. When she was up on that podium, it was so fun to see."
At the Olympics, Allison was ushered around so much that the time she got with her parents was limited to a few minutes here and there.
Gail Schmitt said her daughter's prowess in the water was due to Allison's own passion – she started swimming when she was 10. All five of Gail and Ralph's children, she said, were encouraged to follow their passions, keeping them in perspective and always trying their best.
"I always told the kids that our priorities have to be God, and then your family, then your school, then your activities," Gail said. "I think it's been really important that we've been so blessed. I have five healthy children and they're all successful in what they try to do, and we're just thankful."
St. John Neumann Parish too, was thankful for their own Olympian. At the church where the Schmitts attend Mass as a family each week, pastor Fr. George Williams announced to the congregation that Allison Schmitt would be in the Olympics, and asked them to pray for her.
"The parish is just proud of an accomplishment of one of the parishioners, and all of the people in the sports programs know her," Fr. Williams said. "They were just glad, first, the parish acknowledged it, and that we're highlighting the accomplishments of one of our young people."
St. John Neumann hosts several CYO sports teams, and uses sports as a way to build community. "A lot of our parish relationships are formed through athletics," Fr. williams said. "It applies to the Schmitts."
Allison had played grade school-level basketball at the parish, before leaving it to spend more time in the water. Her younger sisters, Kari and Sara, twins who are 15 years old, have been active in the parish's soccer program.
Allison said she was grateful to have the prayers of her fellow parishioners with her when she was in China. As for now, her schedule is getting crowded once more as she prepares to move to the University of Georgia, where she'll attend classes this fall.
Asked what's next for her, Allison enumerated her future aquatic goals.
"There's making the World Championships… the NCAAs," she said. "And the next biggest goal is making it to the 2012 Olympic team."
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