Men's swimming's Hessler still inspired by mug of club coach

Athletes find motivation in unique places.

Some respond to fiery speeches, while others strive to make their families proud.

For swimmer Carl Hessler, all it takes is a picture.

Hessler, a senior captain and Princeton record-holder in four events, doesn't respond to a picture of just anyone. But when he sees the familiar face of his old club swim coach, Hessler kicks into high gear.

"If I need Carl to do something, I just threaten to call Dick Jochums," Princeton head coach Rob Orr said.

"I've got a laminated magazine cover I hold up as Carl's coming towards the wall. It gets a laugh and does the trick."

Jochums, the coach at Santa Clara Swim Club, where Hessler swam through high school, once coached Orr as well.

Jochums is widely known in swimming circles as a "tough-ass." Think Bobby Knight. Known for rigorous practices and a demanding personality, Jochums is the embodiment of "old school."

The years of hard work and intense training have paid off for Hessler.

Tough guy

Chief among his many attributes is dedication. He proved his toughness during his freshman year, when he swam at Eastern Championships despite a broken elbow.

Since then, he has established a reputation for an astounding work ethic.

"He's a soft-spoken guy, so he leads by training harder than anyone else," senior captain Jamie Leahy said.

"He's just in the pool longer than anyone else."

Less is more

A highly recruited long distance swimmer during his high school years, Hessler converted to a sprinter once he arrived at Princeton. He has continued to train with the long-distance swimmers, however, tapering to concentrate on sprints shortly before meets.

"I like shorter stuff better right now," Hessler said. "After all those years of long distance, the sprints are more exciting to me."

In addition to the long distance training, Hessler cited dry land and strength training as critical to his success at Princeton. As a result of his hard work, his short distance times have dropped dramatically during his years as a Tiger.

While versatile in the long distances, Hessler has also been able to shine in both the freestyle and butterfly events.

This is demonstrated by the combination of events in which he holds records — 500 freestyle, 200 butterfly, 400 free relay, and the 400 medley relay — a rare combination.

Leader of the pack

This year, coach Orr expects Hessler to continue to lead the team in each of those events, as well as in the 200 free.

Last year at the Eastern Championships, Hessler won the 200 fly and finished second in both the 200 and 500 free. Hessler's performance was strong enough to qualify him to compete in the NCAA Championships in all three events.

Ditto

"We expect him to at least duplicate his performances, and hopefully improve," Orr said.

Hessler is just one swimmer of this year's incredibly strong senior class.

If the class of 2003 had competed on its own last year at Easterns, it would have finished in sixth place as a team.

"Our goal this year is what Coach Orr calls the 'triple crown' – win H-Y-P, win Easterns, and score well at NCAA's," Hessler said.

"This year we should be able to do as well as any team in a long time."

Hessler has been successful beyond just his Princeton results and records. In the summer of 2000 after his freshman year, Hessler participated in the Olympic Trials. He was a semifinalist in the 200 butterfly, meaning he was among the top 16 nationally.

"It was pretty exciting, but overwhelming," Hessler said. "It was the biggest crowd I've ever swam in front of."

Souvlaki

A run at the 2004 Olympics is not out of the question for Hessler at this point.

If he should decide to try to compete, the effort would require a year of around the clock training, but the quest might be worth it.

"Every swimmer thinks about the Olympics," Hessler said. "It's the big dream."

If he does decide to make a run at Athens, Hessler will have his work cut out for him.

Better have the picture ready.