This article is the first in a series setting the stage for Nebraska swimmers competing in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, June 26-July 3. Six Huskers from the 2015-16 women's swimming team have qualified for U.S. Trials and as many as eight more Huskers will be trying to qualify during the Omaha Cup at the CenturyLink Center, June 17-18.
By Jeff Griesch
Huskers.com
Nebraska's Katt Sickle knows what it's like to shoulder a load inside and outside the pool. The senior from Grain Valley, Mo., has been one of the Huskers' top distance freestylers the past two years and qualified for the 400 free at the upcoming 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, June 26-July 3.
She also has been a star in the classroom and the community as a two-time academic All-Big Ten choice and a three-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. Sickle also hopes to leave her Nebraska swimming career behind her with more than just one degree in hand.
Sickle earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska as an elementary education and mild/moderate disabilities education major in May of 2016. After swimming at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 27, Sickle expects to have surgery on an injured shoulder that has slowed her for much of her Husker career. The surgery will likely require a six-month rehabilitation that will knock her out of competition for the Huskers in 2016-17.
The pain in Sickle's shoulder isn't new. She has dealt with the uncooperative shoulder for nearly her entire Nebraska career. The pain started late in her freshman campaign, knocking her out of competition at the end of her first season in 2012-13. She redshirted in 2013-14 after having shoulder surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation.
In 2014-15 and 2015-16, Sickle enjoyed two strong seasons in the pool, including a 15th-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a lifetime best of 4:46.52 in the preliminaries at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. She added another career best with a time of 1:48.78 to finish 26th in the 200 free at the conference championships, while helping the Huskers' 800-yard freestyle relay to a fifth-place finish.
"At Big Tens, my shoulder began to bother me shortly after my 200 freestyle," Sickle said. "I mentally tried to block it out because I had the 1,650 freestyle the following day. In the middle of the 1,650, the pain in my shoulder became unbearable. After the race is when I knew I needed to have my shoulder looked at again by the doctors."
Despite dealing with the pain in the same shoulder that forced her out of the 2013-14 season, Sickle battled to finish 30th in the 1,650 freestyle.
"Overall, I was very pleased with how I swam at Big Tens," Sickle said. "Going life bests is always exciting, as well as being able to contribute to the team score."
But for Sickle, who began experiencing inflammation in her shoulder around the start of the 2016 calendar year, she knew it would be tough to manage more shoulder pain for the entire 2016-17 season.
"Any athlete will tell you that battling an injury is both physically and mentally challenging. These last few months have been filled with many ups and downs, but it has been put in perspective for me how quickly something you love and have so much passion for can be taken away," Sickle said. "My injury has definitely limited my training ability, and has been extremely frustrating at times, but it's made me a stronger athlete and individual. My family, coaches, teammates, sports psychologist and other athletic staff have been very supportive of me. Knowing that I have so much support has helped me get through this challenge while still making sure I'm getting the most out of each practice."
Sickle's shoulder pain has continued to limit her while she prepares for one of the biggest swims of her life at the U.S. Olympic Trials. However, she is determined to overcome that pain to accomplish a life-long goal of swimming at the trials.
"There are days when my shoulder is lifeless and everything bothers it. I don't do any weightlifting with my arms. I have really been focusing on strengthening my legs to help me move through the water without having to use so much arm strength. I do as much swimming and upperbody work in the pool as my body allows me," Sickle said. "I think knowing that I'm about to compete at one of the fastest swim meets in the world with the best swimmers has helped me mentally push aside the pain when I'm swimming. I learned a lot going through a shoulder injury the first time, so this time I know what I can and cannot do, and what I should work on to help me still be able to improve and prepare myself for my upcoming meets."
The pain has done nothing to diminish Sickle's excitement for facing the competition at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha.
"The Olympic Trials is a huge stage to swim at and I'll have a lot of family and friends in the crowd," Sickle said. "I am preparing myself to be level-headed before my races and to be able to feed off the energy that will be in the building.
"It's always been a goal of mine to qualify for Olympic Trials and swim at the meet. Now that it's actually here it is very nerve-wracking but so exciting. Being at a swim meet with thousands of fans screaming and cheering for you is going to be crazy, but I think will also help me during my races."
While Sickle is focused on performing at her highest level at the U.S. Olympic Trials, she is also eager to turn her injury into opportunity following the competition. The recent Nebraska graduate will have the opportunity to apply for a medical hardship waiver and possibly gain a sixth year of eligibility to swim for the Huskers during the 2017-18 season, while recovering from shoulder surgery in 2016-17.
"Katt has shown a lot of courage throughout her career at Nebraska, and she is such an outstanding young woman," Nebraska Coach Pablo Morales said. "She has battled through a lot during her career, and she knows she has a great opportunity to swim at Trials. She also has the intelligence to know that she has a great opportunity to continue her education the next two years at Nebraska. I think we are all looking forward to an opportunity to see her swim when she is truly healthy."
Sickle is hoping to make the most of her opportunities.
"I am currently taking graduate classes in the TLTE (Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education) graduate program with a focus in mathematics," Sickle said. "The program is two years, and being able to have a sixth year would allow me to complete my master's degree before I start teaching in my own classroom. Not many teachers complete their master's degree this quickly after graduating, so this could be the silver lining to applying for and possibly receiving a medical hardship. I will be able to take more classes to advance my education and learn more about ways I can be an effective teacher."
Sickle's passion for teaching started close to home and may equal her passion for swimming.
"My mom (Kelly) has been a teacher for 17 years," Sickle said. "Growing up, I loved helping her grade papers, rearrange her classroom, or help with any other 'teacher duty' she might have. When I was trying to decide on a major I thought about things that I loved to do. I knew that I wanted to do something that would impact and help others. My younger sister Danika is currently 10 years old, and my brother Koleton is 8 years old. As I continued my search, I realized that I loved being around my younger siblings and watching them learn new things and grow as individuals. This, along with working at the Blue Springs YMCA back home in the Child Watch Area, helped me realize that being around kids every day and being able to help them learn new things and change their lives is what I wanted to do."
Bringing her passions for swimming and teaching together at Nebraska could make for some exciting possibilities for Sickle in the future.
"The Teaching Program at Nebraska is incredible with so many resources and opportunities to prepare you for the future, that other universities just don't have," Sickle said. "I plan on using my master's degree to help better me for my future as an educator. I might also be able to educate other teachers on ways to make their teaching effective and show them other strategies they can use in their classrooms to engage students and help them succeed in learning and understanding the material. Who knows? This degree also could be the beginning for me to being a learning coach or even writing math curriculum."
While Sickle continues to train for the biggest swim of her life in Omaha and prepare for another bump in the road with impending shoulder surgery, she is working toward her master's degree with thoughtfulness and thankfulness.
"The entire academic staff, life skills staff and coaching staff have helped me achieve what I have been able to achieve and become the person I am today," Sickle said. "Nebraska has so many great opportunities for its student-athletes to not only succeed in their sport but also in the classroom and the community. Having resources to be able to give back to Lincoln and other surrounding areas is something I love about this University."