Daniel Gordon has always dreamed of working at NASA developing rovers, but for now, he’s living out another dream as a member of the University of Florida swim team.
Gordon is a sophomore at the University of Florida and swims freestyle for the UF men’s swim and dive team. He is majoring in mechanical engineering and hopes to pursue a career in the mechanical engineering field after graduation. Gordon said he also plans to continue swimming competitively after graduation if given the opportunity.
Born in Miami, Florida, Gordon has enjoyed being in the water since he was a child. He started swimming competitively at the age of nine. Around the age of six, he moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to his family, who lived up north.
After moving away, Gordon said he always dreamed of returning to Florida and swimming for the University of Florida. He preferred swimming in Florida because of the warmer weather. He likes to feel the sunlight on his back and the smell of the fresh air that comes with swimming outdoors.
Gordon’s grandfather started him on the road to becoming a great swimmer. While Gordon was growing up, his grandpa used to swim every day. He would swim about a mile or more. Gordon would jump in the pool during his grandpa’s swims and pester him. This led to his grandpa teaching him the basics of swimming. Since then, Gordon said he has never looked back.
Gordon decided to specialize in freestyle over all the other strokes because he enjoys the attention to detail and the intensity of the 50 meters. He said there is no time to catch up if you fall behind, and it feels amazing when you can shave off some time.
Gordon said his biggest inspiration is his roommate, fellow freestyler and Olympian Josh Liendo. He admires Liendo’s devotion, work ethic, and dedication to swimming. Gordon said he aspires to one day be as hardworking and focused as Josh.
As a collegiate swimmer, Gordon is up before the sun. He starts his day by waking up at 5:15 a.m. when most students are still asleep. He eats a quick snack before heading to the pool for his 6 a.m. practice. He said he has to eat a lot of food in order to keep up with the number of calories he burns in a day from swimming.
His practice lasts from 6 a.m. to about 8 a.m. Gordon said these practices are usually threshold practices, which involve swimming at a pace that will maximize the speed a person’s body can sustain at an aerobic intensity. After training, Gordon and some of his teammates walk to the dining hall for breakfast. Then, they hit the weight room for about an hour.
Once they finish in the weight room, Gordon says he is free to begin his day. He starts by heading back to his apartment to take a nap or do some homework. He utilizes time management to balance attending class, practicing and studying, which can be challenging. He sets up a schedule he knows will allow him to succeed and not get lazy.
Gordon has to get back on campus by about 12:10 p.m. for lunch before his first class of the day, computer-aided graphics and design. Then, he said he had to rush to his next class, statics. After statics, Gordon has his second practice of the day, where he swims for another two hours, continuing to do threshold swimming.
At about 5:30 p.m., he said he goes to the dining hall again for dinner. Dinner usually entails some variation of brown rice with three steaks and asparagus. Before calling it a night, Gordon said he will try to get some studying in and eat another sandwich before bed around 9 or 9:30 p.m. to keep his body fueled.
In preparation for a meet, Gordon said he likes to visualize the race the night before to prepare himself mentally for the competition. He also ensures he eats the right foods, like lots of carbs, to keep his energy up. He tries to stay calm, cool, and collected on the day of the competition so he does not get too far into his head because that is when the nerves start.
But most importantly, Gordon said he just tries to have fun. His favorite part of racing is getting up on the block with a bunch of guys and seeing who is the fastest. He loves feeling the adrenaline rush that only comes from racing. It is not something you can get anywhere else.
Another important part of a swim meet is being encouraged and invigorated by the audience. Dylan Juski and Eric Oliver, graduate students at the University of Florida, attended the Georgia versus Florida swim meet on October 27th.
“I came here for my undergraduate,” Juski said. “We’re all graduate students, and in my undergrad, I went to every single sport at least once, and I kind of want to do that again. When I saw the swim meet, I wanted to come. I really like the 200 IM.”
On days with travel meets Gordon said he tries to stay relaxed and well-rested. If the team travels by plane or bus, he tries to keep his legs moving to prepare himself for the upcoming meeting. Once they arrive at their destination, the team usually goes to the pool to warm up. He said his favorite place he has traveled to for a meeting was Ireland because it was so pretty.
When Gordon is caught up on all his work and has free time to spare, he said he likes to focus on having fun with his friends and enjoying the college experience. His favorite way to spend a cheat day is eating Wingstop or going to Waffle House with his friends.
A day in the life of a college athlete can be exciting and fun, but it is also hard and demanding. It takes a lot of time and effort to balance all the different aspects and responsibilities of being a student-athlete. However, in the process, Gordon gained a family and trust with his teammates, which is hard to find anywhere else.
“Just don’t be afraid to fail,” Gordon said. “Failures are part of growing. It’s really easy to get worked up and afraid of failing, but it’s really important to develop.”
