On Tuesday, former Valencia swimmer Julia Wolf felt a familiar arm around her shoulder. It felt like her dad, Jay, but it couldn’t be possible. Wolf had moved to Indiana to train with her future college swimming home, Indiana University while her dad had remained in Southern California.
But it was possible. Jay had flown in to pay a surprise visit to his daughter and watch her sign her National Letter of Intent with Indiana on Wednesday.
“It was pretty much just complete shock,” Wolf said. “I just started smiling like a crazy person.”
Wolf has had plenty of reasons to smile in the past two months. In October, she spent four days at the National Training Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The 17-year-old was one of 48 swimmers from across the country to participate in the camp.
From Oct. 19-22, Wolf learned about how to best prepare her body for races, proper nutrition and fine-tuned her form using underwater filming that the camp provided. Swimming at Colorado’s high altitude was also a new challenge.
She was constantly surrounded by Olympians who are residents near the training facility. Leah Smith, a member of the 2016 swimming Olympic team, spoke with the swimmers in attendance at the camp.
Her stay at the Olympic Training Center and everything she learned reassured Wolf of one thing she always knew:
“If I just keep doing what I’m doing and working as hard as I can, anything is achievable,” Wolf said.
Wolf is currently a senior at Bloomington High School South in Indiana. She previously swam for Valencia and trained with Paseo Aquatic Club and Canyons Aquatics Club.
Last year with the Vikings, she won the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 50-yard freestyle title and won the 50 and 100 free races at the Foothill League finals
She competed in the 50 freestyle in the World Trials last July and was received an offer from Indiana University the following week.
Now that she’s in Indiana, she’s begun intense training with the Hoosiers. She has two practices a day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and lifts every day Monday through Friday in addition to attending school.
It’s only made her more eager to begin her college swimming career.
“I can’t wait,” Wolf said. “I’m so excited and counting down the days.”
