Y swimmer has Olympic dreams

She had the time cut in her mind, but she wasn’t sure she’d do it this year. And then she looked up at the time on the scoreboard.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was like, Is that my time?” said Remedy Rule, who qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic swimming trials in two events, the first being the 200 backstroke, and then later adding a qualifying time in the 200 butterfly.

Rule, a freshman at Western Albemarle High School, started swimming competitively in the Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club program at the Waynesboro YMCA as a grade-schooler five years ago.

“Before that, I did swimming in between soccer seasons,” said Rule, who qualified for a state-level swim meet at the end of one of those in-between seasons and came to a crossroads.

“My coach asked me which one I wanted to do. I decided to put more focus into swimming,” Rule said.

Five years later, she’s a three-time state swimmer of the year, the holder of multiple state records in both speed and distance events and a top-six finisher in a national-championship meet.

Rule and her SMAC coach, Norm Wright, have devised a practice regimen for the June 2012 Olympic trials that will have her in the pool practically every day.

“At least I get Christmas Day off,” said Rule, who asked her family to forego their usual Christmas-week vacation and asked her coach to keep her working through a normal springtime break in between the short-course and long-course SMAC seasons.

With swimming, Rule knows, hard work pays off.

“It’s not only about showing up. You have to put the work in. You have to change your stroke to what’s the most efficient. You have to work hard and hit your goal times in practice. You just have to put a lot into swimming,” Rule said.

She won’t let herself think about the 2012 London Games just yet.

“It’s going to be exciting seeing people qualify for the Olympic team at the trials. It’s going to be a great experience. I’m shooting for top 20, which would be semifinals. That’s my goal right now,” Rule said.

More information on the Waynesboro Y at www.WaynesboroYMCA.com.