Lia Neal
Lia Neal
Photo credit: Melissa Lundie Photography

When they were children, both Lia Neal and Felicia Lee remember not caring for dips in the pool. “My mother would put me in the mommy-and-me classes and I would come out, like, straight purple, and I just hated it,” Lee says. Neal recalls crying on the beach because she didn’t want to get into the water.

But when they became older, the two took an interest in swimming. “When I was a kid, my mom put me in every sport imaginable,” Lee says. “Then, when I was about 12, I quit them all for swimming. I just felt most comfortable in the water.”

Neal became fascinated with swimming when she’d join her parents playing around in the pool. Her dad also took her to a pool for adults that was only a few blocks from their home. She’d climb onto his back and hold onto his shoulders while he’d swim and dive under the water. “But I started taking lessons in the first grade because my friends and classmates were taking lessons,” she says. “They told me and my mom that I should join them as well, so that’s how it started.”

Neal believes swimming is a great way to build children’s confidence. “When you start something at a young age, you’re kind of fearless and you’re willing to try anything, so I think it was good that I started young so I could become confident around the water and be conscious about water safety.”

Felicia Lee
Felicia Lee
Photo credit: Melissa Lundie Photography

 

“I think swimming is a good form of full-body exercise,” Lee says. “I had a ton of energy when I was younger, so my mom was always happy to send me to swim practice so I’d be tired when I got home. But other than that, it was really nice to be able to be in a team sport and have fun with all my friends, especially during the hot summer months.”

Lee became serious about competitive swimming when she turned 12. “I was super-determined and very focused when I was a little kid,” she says. “I knew I needed to put in a lot of hard work in order to get the end results, and I was fortunate enough to have great role models to look at during practice.”

The role model Lee watched was Katie Hoff, who captured a silver and two bronze medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. “She was training with me in the same pool and in the same way, so seeing her work ethic inspired me to keep my head down and keep grinding through those grueling workouts.”

Neal joined a swim team when she was 8. She says she didn’t really start rigorous practice, however, until she was 12. “If I were to swim that kind of endless yardage now, it would be way harder because when you’re young you have the energy and it’s still new,” she says. “Those sessions sound a lot more ridiculous now.”

Neal and Lee were teammates on Stanford University’s swimming team. This year, Neal is a junior and Lee has graduated. The two are contenders for spots on the U.S. swim team that’s heading to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Today, Neal and Lee are acknowledged as role models in a sport that’s just begun to see an influx of competitors from diverse population groups.

Neal is of African-American and Chinese-American parentage. “I don’t feel any pressure,” she says. “I think it’s more flattering to have kids look up to me. I never expected or foresaw any of this attention when I was first taking lessons, or first joined a team. But I’m taking it all in stride. It’s really touching that some people actually look up to me and are inspired to do what I do.”

Lee also regards her status as a role model as a privilege. “I think it’s kind of an honor,” she says. “As an Asian-American, I don’t feel a lot of pressure; it’s more like I’m here to swim my best and inspire others along the way.”

To get more information about swimming, or to find a swim team near you, visit SwimToday.org.