Hook ’em Michael Klueh

April 21, 2008

Earlier this year Michael Klueh was part of the Longhorn 800m relay team that set a new American record in 6:10.55, breaking the previous mark of 6:14.14 set by Club Wolverine's Michael Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay, Davis Tarwater and Chris DeJong. Later this summer he'll try to qualify for the Olympics in the the 200, 400 and 1500m freestyle. He is capable of swimming sub 15 minutes in the 1500m and that is most likely what it is going to take to qualify.

ST: Michael, you are currently swimming for the University of Texas. Isn't Texas mostly about football and basketball? ☺

Michael: Well I guess that was something I expected about being an athlete at Texas. It is great to be part of something that is so much larger than you. Just last year in our dorms at Texas I lived down the hall from Kevin Durant; now it’s likely that you will see him on a T.V. commercial pretty much everyday. I love going to Longhorn football and basketball games whenever I am not training.

ST: At what age you started swimming and have you done any other sports?

Michael: I don't think I can remember ever not swimming. It is just something I have done my entire life. When I was younger, my parents put me into a lot of different sports such as basketball, golf, football, wrestling, ice and street hockey, and baseball just to name a few. I kind of just dropped a few sports along the way, and when it was time to finally choose only one sport to play, swimming was the obvious choice.

ST: The Olympic Trials in Nebraska are coming up soon. Can you describe your goals for the event?

Michael: My first and foremost goal is to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. However it is a very difficult accomplishment for any swimmer in the United States to qualify for the Olympic Games. In a country with so many athletes that could succeed at the Games, only a select few earn the right to compete in Beijing. My coaches and I have set specific goals for each race that I will compete in at the Trials, and we have also laid out a "road-map" for each day between now and then so that I can accomplish these goals when it matters most.

ST: What would you call your biggest achievement or favorite race result in swimming so far?

Michael: Every swimmer is always striving for the perfect race; one in which they can get out of the water and know that was as fast as they could possibly swim. Although I would not consider any of my swims to be at this level, the closest one would be when I was part of the American-record setting 800-yard freestyle relay at the Big XII Championships this past spring. It was an amazing feeling walking away from the blocks with three of my best friends knowing that no other relay team has ever swam as fast as we just did.

ST: What events are you trying to qualify for?

Michael: I'll be swimming the 200, 400 and 1500 freestyle at the Trials.

ST: What else is on your schedule in terms of racing for 2008?

Michael: Right now we’re focusing solely on the Olympic Trials, so anything after that meet has yet to be discussed between my coaches and myself. There are a few meets such as a little meet we have here in Austin this month and the Santa Clara International Grand Prix next month in which I will be competing in order to prepare to achieve my goals at the Trials.

ST: During the season, what workload do you have during a typical week?

Michael: Typically I have 3-4 morning swimming workouts per week that are usually 1 ½ hours long. Then I attend classes between 8am-2pm before heading over to our weight room to lift weights or some other form of dryland activities for an hour. We then swim from 3-5pm every afternoon and another 2 hours on Saturday morning. All of the swimming adds up to roughly 80,000 yards per week during the most intense part of the season. Thankfully we get to have Sunday off to recover for the next week.

ST: Would you also be so kind and describe a typical hard workout?

Michael: Well we usually start off with 20-30 minutes of warm-up including some sort of faster paced swimming to make sure that we are really ready to train at high levels throughout the entire practice. One set that we tend to do a lot is 6 x 1000 yards. Sometimes the interval is 10:00 for all 6 with a strong, consistent effort during the entire set. Another way to do it is to set up the intervals so that I am forced to descend my times 1-3, 4-6 by making the interval for #1 and 4 at 10:30, #2/5 at 10:00 and #3/6 at 9:30. It all depends on what my coaches Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik want me to accomplish that particular day.

ST: Some people say that a pool is just a pool. What do you think?

Michael: This is a really good question. Everyone just assumes that a pool is a pool; however there are just some pools that I tend to always swim fast in for whatever reason. One of them is of course the Texas Swimming Center here in Austin; it is just extremely fast and the pool records can rival those of any other pool in the world. Another of my favorites is the IUPUI in Indianapolis. It was the pool that every one of my end-of-season meets was held at from the time I was 8 years old until I was 16 and moved down here to Austin. Even when I go back to swim in meets there now the atmosphere and memories always seem to bring the best out of me.

ST: Do you have much of an off-season at all, and if so, what do you do during that time?

Michael: I am actually just starting a new season after a brief off-season, if you can even call it that. We only got three days off after this past NCAA Championships the last weekend in March. This extra short break may be because of an early Olympic Trials this summer. Usually I get somewhere around 7-10 days off before getting back into it. I tend to try to catch up on rest during these breaks so I can start fresh on the very first day back because a taper meet can be very taxing on the body whether it is only a three day meet or a full eight day schedule of events like the Olympic Trials.

ST: Do you do any cycling or running?

Michael: The most cycling that I ever come into contact with is our stationary bicycle in our weight room. It's a good exercise for swimmers to increase leg strength without much risk for injury. I used to run with my girlfriend on this really cool path around Town Lake in downtown Austin. There is a 3 and 5 mile course with water jugs and bathrooms set up along the path to make it user friendly. The view is just incredible for the entirety of the run, and with the beautiful weather we are having right now, I just may have to make my way back down there pretty soon.

ST: Have you thought about doing a triathlon?

Michael: Triathlons are something that I think I might enjoy after retiring from competitive swimming. One of the last times I went back to Indiana to visit my family, I cheered on my mom and cousin as they competed in what I believe was a miniature triathlon. If I remember correctly, my cousin finished top 5 overall and my mom was 2nd in her age group. She also trains for and runs marathons, and she has qualified and is currently preparing to run in the Boston Marathon! I'm so proud of what she has accomplished.

ST: Can you share with us some of your food likes and dislikes?

Michael: I'm a really big fan of food. Our Australian Assistant Coach Bobby is always willing to tell me when he thinks I've been eating too much. But in all seriousness, ever since moving out of the dorms and into a house I have really made a conscious effort in eating healthier all of the time. However I do really enjoy Mexican food for breakfast and I feel sorry for anyone who has never had the treat to have a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast taco.

ST: What about music? What do you listen to?

Michael: One thing I love about Austin is that it is the live music capital of the world. I love going to concerts whenever I get the chance; in a few weeks I am going to see O.A.R. with most of my teammates. I'm listening to a lot of 90s rock right now like 311, Pearl Jam, Counting Crows, and Sublime. I'm just starting to get into some "chill" music like Slightly Stoopid and State Radio.

ST: What is the last book you read?

Michael: I recently started reading I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert. It's pretty interesting so far. I'm also a big fan of Stephen King, John Grisham and Dan Brown.

ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Michael: This is a question I've been avoiding for the past couple of years already. I'm about to reach that stage in life in which I have to face reality. Hopefully I can delay that for as long as possible by swimming professionally and possibly attending graduate school. Let's just say I have some important decisions I need to make in the next couple of years.

ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?

Michael: I enjoy the simple things in life. I like to hang out with my friends and love to do anything outside under the warm Texas sun.