THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406170247
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 31 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY XIAOHONG ZHANG SWAIN, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: 940619 LENGTH: Medium
When Bradner was 3, her parents, Jim and Nancy, were divorced. Under the divorce agreement, Bradner lived with her mother in Richmond and her sister, Jennifer, lived with her dad, who later moved to Chesapeake.
{REST} Each summer, Bradner came to visit her father. And the annual visit led to Bradner swimming for Greenbrier Summer Swimming Team and Great Bridge Recreational Swimming Team.
``It was kind of an accident,'' said Bradner of her swimming career. ``I hurt my elbow and I couldn't do gymnastics anymore.''
Admiring her sister, who became a gymnast at Great Bridge High, Bradner really wanted to follow in Jennifer's footsteps. Once the dream of being a gymnast became remote for her, Bradner explored her potential in swimming.
In addition to swimming here during the summer, Bradner competed on the Poseidon team of Richmond and has raced against the area's Old Dominion Aquatic Club many times.
She continues to come to Chesapeake in the summer and considers the first year in college her best year so far in swimming.
``Before, I never put my heart into the work,'' she said. ``This year, I'm a lot more dedicated.
Bradner's strongest events are 100 and 200 backstroke. At the 1994 CAA championships, she won both events with times of 58.29 for the 100 and 2:05.80 for the 200.
``I love the backstroke,'' she said. ``I can breath all the time. I can see my teammates cheering and the coach yelling at me.''
Bradner admitted that it's difficult to be a college athlete because training is often very hard. To prepare for February's CAA meet, for instance, the Pirates' swimming team went to West Palm Beach, Fla., for a week in late December.
No, there wasn't leisurely sun bathing or strolling along the beach. The swimmers didn't have the time or energy after each day's heavy-duty practice. On New Year's Day, the team concluded the practice with each member swimming 100 yards 94 times.
``I called home during the week and asked my mother to send me a ticket and get me home,'' Bradner said.
But Bradner stayed with the crew. And the practice paid off.
``The (CAA) conference was the best meet of my life,'' she said.
Her performance at the meet even surprised her coach Rick Kobe. But witnessing how hard Bradner works, he won't be surprised if she qualifies for the NCAA meet soon.
``She's one of our best work-out swimmers,'' Kobe said on the phone from East Carolina. ``She's very close to qualifying for NCAA.''
Besides being a top swimmer, Bradner is also a team leader and a positive person who has a wonderful attitude, according to Kobe.
Because of the hard training, many college athletes will drop out of the sport after a year or two. But Bradner is determined that she will stay in swimming throughout college.
``A lot of people started swimming early,'' she said. ``They are burnt out soon.
``I started late. I want to last. That is something that keeps me going.''
Her modest hope is to qualify for the NCAA meet by her senior year. After college, she wants to teach at elementary school.
``I love kids,'' she said. ``This is the first year I've coached.
``I was a bit nervous at the beginning. But I wanted kids to have confidence in me. I like to see them improve.''
And here in Chesapeake, Jim Bradner revealed his satisfaction on what his daughter has accomplished.
``I'm extremely proud of her,'' he said. ``She worked hard. She deserved the Rookie Swimmer of the Year title.''
by CNB