Ben Loewen to Compete at the Olympic Trials in June

Greenwood student Ben Loewen ‘22 has been working hard on his swimming career and it’s paying off! 

Ben started competitively swimming at the beginning of Grade 1 when he was just six years old. He has continued to improve his swimming skills ever since and has still been able to train during the pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, Ben has been in the pool 9 times a week (2 hours per session) and has completed 3 weight training sessions per week (1 hour each). It’s safe to say his training takes a lot of commitment and dedication.

“I would say the most important part of being successful is consistency. It's easy to work hard for a week or even a month, but continuing to push for a whole year separates you from others,” Ben says. 

Apart from physical training, Ben needs to ensure that he gets the right amount of sleep in order to get himself mentally prepared for trials. With his 4 a.m. wake up calls, he needs to make sure he gets more than 6 hours of sleep each night.

Ben admits that the hardest part of training is the amount of time it consumes. Dedicating as much time as he does to swimming results in a lack of time to hang out with friends or play other sports like basketball. 

“I look up to my coaches in particular because they spend so much time on improving me as an athlete in the pool and as a person outside of it,” Ben says. 

Ben’s hard work has led him to compete in the Olympic trials happening later this month.

“I’m very competitive and I love to race, especially against competitors I've gone up against in the past,” he says.

We wish Ben the best of luck at his trials! Greenwood is proud of you!