By TONY BELLISSIMO
“When we were introduced, I turned my iPod up all the way and tried to focus on what I needed to do,” said Skelos, a 2006 South Side High School graduate who recently completed her sophomore year at Penn State University. “I’ve never swam in front of such a large crowd, but I was fine once I got the kinks and nerves out.”
An average of 13,000 spectators turned out to watch the country’s top 1,209 aquatic athletes vie for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Only the first- and second-place finishers in each event qualified for the Beijing Games, which open Aug. 8, and though Skelos fell short, she proved she belonged.
Just getting to the trials is an accomplishment in itself. She competed in four events and reached the semifinals in the 200-meter backstroke, logging a time of 2 minutes, 12.70 seconds along the way to 15th place. Go back four years and the time was fast enough to make the 2004 Olympics in Athens. “It’s hard work paying off,” said Skelos, who also swam the 100 backstroke and the 200 and 400 individual medley. “I also have more confidence than ever before.”
Skelos, a member of the Long Island Aquatic Club (LIAC) since 1993, said her confidence started to rise after her strong performance for the Nittany Lions at the Princeton Invitational in December. Two months later she finished second in the 200-yard backstroke and third in the 400-yard IM at the Big Ten Conference championships, shaving nearly two and 11 seconds off her personal best times, respectively. Her time of 1:55.65 in the 200 back set a new Penn State record. She went 4:11.14 in the 400 IM and earned second team All-Big Ten honors. “Daphne had some breakthroughs her senior year at South Side and experienced much of the same this season at Penn State,” said LIAC coach Dave Ferris, who traveled to Omaha to watch Skelos and a few other club members. “I’m not surprised because she’s one of the hardest-working kids I’ve ever met. She’s improved year by year, and now she’s at a world-class level.”
A six-year varsity swimmer at South Side, Skelos led the Lady Cyclones to a conference title as a senior while winning Nassau County championship in the 200 IM for a third consecutive season. She won four county titles during her high school career, including three in the 200 IM, and once held the Nassau girls’ record in the 200 IM set at the state meet in 2005. These days her time in the event is a shade over two minutes.
“Daphne’s dedication and knowledge always impressed me,” said Ken Bohman, who coached the Lady Cyclones for five of Skelos’s six seasons. “A lot of elite swimmers don’t compete for their high school teams for various reasons, but she wanted to be a part of our program. She was always willing to do whatever it took to help the team be successful. For years she acted like an assistant coach, and I really appreciated everything she did.”
Bohman was watching NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Trials when he saw Skelos’s name flash along the bottom of the screen leading up to the semifinals of the 200 backstroke. “It was a thrill to see her on television,” he said.
Skelos will compete in the U.S. Open in Minneapolis next week. After a week off, she’ll train for two weeks with LIAC before heading back to State College, Pa. The biobehavioral health major isn’t looking beyond her junior year at Penn State and doesn’t plan on making a decision regarding the 2012 Olympics until somewhere down the road. “I like to stay in the present,” she said.
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
