NTEX Swimmer of the Month for March, 2010

Each month, NTEX Masters will choose a member of the team for a short Q &A.  This month meet:

Ming Chen

1.  How long have you been a swimmer?

Not sure if I ever was. Where I’m from (Taiwan), schools do not teach swimming until college, nor are there many pools to learn swimming. (Interesting since Taiwan is an island.)  I took a swimming class in college, but it concentrated more on not drowning than swimming.

2.  What is you greatest swimming acomplishment?

Finished allotted workouts before everyone left the pool last Monday I think?

3.  Do you have a favorite workout?

Hard to say because I just joined master swimming for two months. But my current favorite is pull exercise (because of pull buoy.) It feels so much lighter when my hip does not sink.

4.  What do you like to do for exercise if you are not swimming?

Run. I typically run around 8 miles daily and longer on weekends.

5.  Where were you born?

Taipei, Taiwan.

6.  What is your favorite television show?

24 & House.

7.  What goals have you set for yourself this year in swimming?

Learn how to swim properly. Be more slippery in water and hold the form longer.

8.  What do you think about while you are swimming?

Mostly about how I am swimming since I am new to swimming. I go thru check lists like: Is hip sinking? Am I balanced? Is my head down when breathing? Am I rotating enough/too much? Are hands relaxed? Etc etc etc.

9.  What famous personality do you resemble?

Hmmm… don’t know, there are not many famous Chinese people in US to choose from.  I wish I resembled Yao Ming in NBA but I’m about 1 feet 9 inches too short for that.

10.  Who is your sports role model?

Scott Jurek won Western State 100 and Badwater in the same year twice is just amazing. The book “Born to Run” has some good words about him.

Chrissie Wellington - How can anyone smiles like that during such grueling event in Kona and win it three times in a role plus a new course record? I can barely walk after a marathon.

11.  Who is your favorite Olympic swimmer?

Err.. Phelps? Although, I am not sure half man half dolphin qualifies as Olympian. But until DNA tests are out, he is my favorite “swimmer.”

12.  Who is your favorite super hero?

Batman, he is the only super hero in justice league without superpowers. (that and tons of gadgets.) That gives me hope of, anyone with billions of $, R&D on gadgets/latest gears, massive hours of training, can be a super tri… Err, super hero. J (Super hero with psychological issue, but super hero never the less.)