Making Waves
Club governor and former college swimmer Nils Plett talks sibling rivalry and Olympic dreams.
Member Nils Plett grew up in a competitive household. As the youngest of three brothers, he was forever looking to better his siblings.
So, naturally, when they joined the swim team at a local country club in Pleasanton, California, he followed them into the pool. Plett soon shifted his competitive focus to swim meets and, eventually, college championships and Olympic trials.
While the University of California, Santa Barbara grad might not be jumping in the pool for grueling training sessions twice a day anymore, swimming remains an important part of his life.
How did the rivalry between you and your brothers influence you?
Even though I was four and half years younger than my eldest brother and three and half years younger than my middle brother, with swimming I was better. By 16, when I focused on swimming only, I was much faster than them and most of the local competition. My middle brother went on to swim Division II at [the University of California, Davis] for two years before switching to volleyball.
Why did you choose UC Santa Barbara?
Because I was not fast enough to be recruited by the top Division I schools, after my junior year in high school, I visited UC Santa Barbara on my own. Immediately, I knew it was the perfect school for me because of location, climate and size of the student body. I was a walk-on in fall 1984 and one of 16 freshmen on the team. I specialized in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke and 200- and 500-yard freestyle. I continued to improve and made the varsity team, one of only two freshmen to do so. By my second year, I received a scholarship.
What was the sports culture like there?
UC Santa Barbara wasn’t well known for sports on the national level, despite consistently producing all-America and Olympic athletes. The only team to have won a national championship before I was there was the 1979 water polo team. Since then, they have won a title in soccer and have been close in men’s volleyball. Probably not a surprise, given its location, but it’s the most successful surf school, winning 13 national titles. That said, sports were always secondary to scholastics, and every student athlete was encouraged to excel in academics. Swimmers consistently had one of the highest average team GPAs of all sports.
Did you win any championships during your time there?
UC Santa Barbara men’s swimming was a perennial powerhouse in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association [now known as the Big West]. Under Gregg Wilson, who retired in 2016 after 40 years as coach, UC Santa Barbara won the conference championship 22 years in a row from 1979 to 2001—an NCAA record for any sport until the Texas Longhorns recently broke it. Personally, I did not win any events, but consistently placed second to fourth. I twice won most inspirational swimmer, as voted by the team, and was elected team captain for the 1988–89 school year.
How serious were your Olympic ambitions?
From 1984, I wanted to make the Olympic trials in the 200-meter backstroke and worked toward that goal, taking a year off from the university team to swim with a group of 14 at Santa Barbara Swim Club under coach Mike Chasson. Of that group, 10 made the trials and one, Richard Schroder, made the Olympic team. Unfortunately, I missed the time by two one-hundredths of a second—just not having enough in the last 2 meters. Swimming is an individual sport, but being a part of a team is very important to training and socializing. Training for the Olympic trials is still a very fond memory and ending my career with my best time meant I retired from university swimming knowing I had given it my all.
Did you continue to swim after college?
I came to Japan directly after university and have been here ever since. I quickly found a team to train with and it helped with making Japanese friends and learning the language and culture. Swimming is a shared experience that cuts through any cultural differences. I continued to swim masters in Japan through my early 30s but swam less frequently as I focused on my career and raising a family. These days, I swim six days a week at the Sky Pool as a regular in the Swim Fit and Masters sessions.
What does the Sky Pool mean to you?
I have been very fortunate to be a part of the Club’s swim community. I believe the communities around the Club are what Members enjoy most, and with the mini communities around each sport, the Club’s recreation areas have some of the strongest.
Visit the Aquatics page on the Club website to learn more about the Sky Pool Pass, which allows Members unlimited access to all adult pool programs.
Words: C Bryan Jones
Top Image of Nils Plett: Kayo Yamawaki
