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Get To Know The University Of North Carolina's Tyler Harris

by Josh Huger (MrUtopia)

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Created August 7th, 2010 10:14:42 PM

Modified August 8th, 2010 07:44:59 AM

This interview is with the University of North Carolina's Tyler Harris. Tyler who is entering his senior year with the Tar Heels currently holds six UNC records and has attained All- American honors,

In this SwimUtopia interview we find out what Tyler's favorite television show is and what he says is one of his hardest workouts ever completed.

Let's get started!

What made you choose UNC?
First off, Chapel Hill is an excellent place to go to college.  The campus is a great size (not too big and not too small), and everyone is extremely friendly.  Some may consider 16,000 undergrads to be a large school, but you would never know.  I took four recruiting trips, and I felt the most comfortable at UNC.  Additionally, our team is so close to one another.  I also chose UNC for how close all the athletes are here at UNC.  I have friends on several different teams here.

What other schools did you look at during your recruiting process?
I took recruiting visits to the University of Michigan, University to Missouri, University of Virginia and, of course, UNC.

What is it like training with everyone at UNC?
Simply put, training at UNC is fun.  I swim in distance/IM group, and every day is competitive.  We love to race each other, even if that means talking a little trash.  Training with Chip Peterson and Joe Kinderwater the past three years has really forced me to take my training to a new level.  It’s great to train with some guys who are international-caliber athletes.  Some days IM group will break away from freestyle, while some days IM will swim the freestyle sets with distance free.  In the end Coach Rich DeSelm ensures that we (IM group) receive a good balance of freestyle and stroke training.

Why did you choose your current major?
I get this question quite often, and the truth is that I have no clue what I want to do after college.  I’m majoring in journalism & mass communication with a specialization in public relations.  Our journalism school is set up so that we can specialize in one of seven categories, ranging from reporting to advertising.  In my opinion, being a PR major provides a set of communication skills that can be used in any type of work.  I hope to one day attend graduate school in something other than journalism/PR.

How many times have you achieved all- American status?
Four-time honorable mention and one-time first team all-American.

In what events?
2008-HM 400IM
2009-HM 400IM
2010-HM 800free relay, 400medley relay/1st Team 400IM

What has been your greatest moment in swimming so far?
Most people would say that they’re greatest moment in swimming is their fastest time or “when it all came together.”  I’d have to say it was my first club meet during my senior year of high school.  I switched club teams to Poseidon Swimming for my senior year and was worried that I would never be as fast.  However, my club coach, Ted Sallade, just told me to relax and have fun.  I went a best time in my 400IM by three seconds in the first meet of the season.  More importantly, I was finally happy in swimming.  In the end, I believe that’s the key to success in the sport.  Right then I learned to take in the moment and enjoy swimming.  Before that season, I had always been focusing on the wrong things, such as fear of failure or fear of disappointment.  Since switching teams, I’ve had a completely different mindset on the sport that has helped me relax and reach my potential at UNC.

What are your top times?
400 IM- 3:43.52SCY         4:19.21LCM
200 IM- 1:44.86SCY         2:03.13LCM
200 breast- 1:56.45SCY     2:17.67LCM
200 fly- 2:00.92LCM

What UNC records do you hold?
200y IM, 400y IM, 200m IM, 400m IM, 800free relay and 400medley relay (breast leg)

What would you say motivates you?
I have another side of me that comes out when I’m swimming.  I’m usually a pretty chill guy that likes to have fun and joke around.  Once I jump in the pool, the “inner-competitor” comes out in me.  I hate to lose, both in meets and in practice, providing most of my competitive drive.

What are some things that people may not know about you?
I’m a huge fan of MTV’s Jersey Shore.  I actually think it’s the best show ever created.  My family used to have a shore house right next to Seaside Heights, so I’m pretty familiar with the area that show takes place.  Now I don’t actually take it seriously, but I watch it for the laughs, “fist-pumping jams” and outrageous quotes.  A bunch of us on the team here get together to watch it when new episodes are released.  In fact, one of our ACC Championship T-shirts this year was a muscle-T with a six-pack abs on the front and a “Situation” quote on the back.  Also, I’ve got a signed “Jwoww” poster for our locker room, but I haven’t brought it in yet since our locker room is under renovations.  It’s probably the coolest thing I possess.  Anytime I get the opportunity to “beat-up-the-beat” I do.  As you can guess, we’re all pretty excited here for season 2….me probably slightly more than others.

What is your favorite pump-up band or artist to listen to before racing?
Continuing with the Jersey Shore theme, I like to listen to techno-jams and what I consider “fist-pumping jams” before a race.  One of my buddies on the team, Wil Singley, does some DJ work.  He’s introduced me to some pretty cool beats that I’ve never heard of.  Outside of the pool, I like some pretty laid-back music.  However, at meet time, I’ll be jamming-out to Flo Rida, Basshunter, Tiestö, Lil’ Wayne or something of the sort.

Do you have any pre-meet rituals?
I really don’t have any rituals cause I think that makes me focus too much on the race.  I just like to have fun and joke around up until race time.  For dual meets at UNC, we crank music in the locker room before we walk out on deck.  Then we usually get together on deck, jump around and perform a cheer.

What is your favorite food?
I don’t think any barbeque is better than North Carolina barbeque, so I’d have to say NC BBQ sandwiches!

Who has been the most influential person in your life?
The most influential person in my life is my uncle.  He’s had MS for several years and recently had a procedure to remove cancer before it became malignant.  After the surgery, he had severe complications and almost passed away several times.  The courage he showed to come away from this procedure has given me motivation not only in swimming but life in general.

What would you say is the hardest practice that you have ever done?
I can’t really pick out a particular practice, but we do this set once a year around January.
3 TIMES THROUGH:
4x100 IMs desc. to fast@1:25
1x400 IM fast @5:00
4x100 free pink(24-26 heart rate for 10 seconds) @1:20
1x400 free fast @4:40
*30 seconds rest between rounds*
This set isn’t necessarily the hardest set in terms of length or continuous intensity, but if you give an all-out effort on all the 400s, this is the one of the hardest sets I’ve done.  My best average on the IM’s was 3:56 and free was 3:39.

What is your favorite type of practice?
My favorite type of practice is one that involves a good mix of aerobic freestyle and fast IM’s.  The freestyle provides a buffer and active recovery, so that we can go fast on the IM’s.  Rich, who coaches the distance/IM group, gives us these types of sets every week.

What do your coaches do to help set you up for success in and out of the pool?
Our coaches as well as the whole UNC athletic department have an excellent outlook on balancing academics, athletics and a social life.  The academic support system here ensures that you don’t fall behind in school.  Our coaches realize that we won’t be swimming forever, so they constantly remind us that academic work comes first.  We also have the Carolina Leadership Academy, which provides us an opportunity to pursue greater leadership skills that we’ll use at UNC and in the future.

At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to take swimming to the next level?
When I was 9 years old, I did summer-league swimming.  That year, I practiced twice-a-day cause I enjoyed swimming so much.  Most people probably thought I was crazy, but it paid off at the end of the summer when I won a couple league championships.  I know, I know….big deal, but I then decided to start year-round swimming.  I guess that’s around when I wanted to be more serious about the sport.

Please list any other additional information that you would like to share!
People call me TH.  I just found out a Krispy Kream is opening on campus in a few weeks.  Also, I’m about to go eat Funfetti cake, so I’m really happy at the moment.  I enjoy playing “The Game of Things.”  Sometimes I have no clue what is happening around me.  Also, I always try to look good for the ladies.  Hopefully I’m successful!