NICOLE STEVENSON

Edited transcript of live chat with the Nicole Stevenson. Monday Sep 18 2000

Interviewer: Welcome everyone, today we will be speaking to commentator on the Games, former Olympian swimmer, Australian Nicole Stevenson. Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us, how are you and where are you today ?
Nicole Stevenson: I'm actually at the Telstra Millenium Marquee at Sydney Olympic Park, and I'm very well thank you.

Interviewer: Gabby`: Hey Nicole - are you recovered from the Opening Ceremony ?
Nicole Stevenson: I have recovered - I got very excited and I think it was a great spectacle for Australia and a nice way to showcase our nation.

Interviewer: Mischievous: Do you still get great enjoyment from commentating, or do you ever feel the urge to jump in the pool and race too ?
Nicole Stevenson: (laugh) No, I don't want to jump in the pool - our swimmers are too quick for me now, I've got a bit old. I love commentary 'cos it lets me be there without all the early mornings and hard work!

Interviewer: Cypher: I'm interested to know why the mens relay team where making gestures "playing air guitars" ?
Nicole Stevenson: (laugh) Nobody has ever beaten the Americans in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay and Gary Hall Jnr. had suggested the Americans would smash the Australians like guitar, before the meet..... so it was a nice way to rub it in!

Interviewer: Mischievous: Why do swimmers finish their swimming career so young ?
Nicole Stevenson: They're staying in longer now, Susie O'Neill, Chris Fydler and Keiren Perkins are all 27 and we're seeing swimmers like Dara Tories from America, line up this year, as a 33 year old. So, thankfully things are getting better - swimmers are staying in longer.

Interviewer: Gabby`: Nicole, do you feel proud to be part of this great show in your hometown ?How does it emote you ?
Nicole Stevenson: Yeah, I feel very proud to be an Australian, especially when the swimmers are doing so well. I'm actullay out at the Olympic Park now, and to look at the cauldron and know that Australia is hosting an event that the rest of the world's watching at this very moment, makes me very proud!

Interviewer: How is the atmosphere out there today ?
Nicole Stevenson: It's really good actually - just across from where we are is the Baseball stadium - and there's a game going on over there now - but just constantly hearing the roar of the crowd...... it's awesome.

Interviewer: Leeza: My 8 year old daughter wants to know if any of the swimmers are asthmatic ?
Nicole Stevenson: Yeah, a couple of the swimmers on the Australian team are asthmatic - and there are a few on the world stage that are asthmatic - Tom Dolan from America, won the 400m medley last night - in a new world record time, and he is severely asthmatic - so it's no barrier!

Interviewer: Leeza: How does it feel to know all those famous sports people, and are you all good friends away from the events ?
Nicole Stevenson: People always ask me if I know Susie O'Neill, Michael Klim, and Ian Thorpe - yes I do, and they're great people. What you see is what you get with the AUstralian swim team, everyone gets on really well.

Interviewer: Hansard: Nicole, do you think todays 200m men's final will bring stress on Ian Thorpe or will he stay cool, and concentrate on his own swim ?
Nicole Stevenson: I think it will bring stress on Thorpie - because he's never been challenged like this before.... it'll be interesting to see how he copes with it all.

Interviewer: How is the Australian Team going overall, I've noticed the USA medal count going up particularly in the womens swimming ?
Nicole Stevenson: The overall medal count of course counts all sports going on at the Olympics, and even though our swimmers are fantastic, it's pretty hard to cover all of the sports. America, with their population, have a lot more athletes to choose from - but I think Australia's still going to have some pretty awesome results. I'm still tipping around 18 gold medals overall!

Interviewer: BuBBLeS_: Nicole - were you comentating when Ian Thorpe broke the world record? Did it inspire you and the rest of the crowd ?
Nicole Stevenson: I didn't commentate for the world record at the Olympics, but I commentated on both Ian Thorpe's and Susie O'Neill's world records at the Telstra Trials in May, and it was pretty inspirational - but it doesn't make me want to put the cossies back on! (laugh)

Interviewer: Penguins_on_Safari: What is the greatest achievement - a gold medal or a world record ?
Nicole Stevenson: A gold medal - because they last forever - and world record's can always be broken!

Interviewer: Gabby`: Nicole - do most athletes ask for help from up above ?
Nicole Stevenson: I'm not sure - I think alot of them have good work ethic, are extremely motivated and train very hard - it doesn't hurt to have any extra help though!

Interviewer: Garry: How do you think Grant Hackett is swimming at the moment ?
Nicole Stevenson: Don't be fooled by Grant Hackett's apparent form in the 200 and 400 - he'll swim well tonight in the 200 but he's always set himself for the 1500 - which is a completely different race.

Interviewer: Would you tell us a little about your career now and your role with the AIS ?
Nicole Stevenson: Right now I'm doing a few different things - I work for a sports marketing and management company, and obviously my work with Channel 9, and I've been working with a couple of different sporting bodies, including the AIS and the Australian Olympic Committee - representing the athletes.

Interviewer: Penguins_on_Safari: How much of a boost can a cheering crowd give you while swimming ?
Nicole Stevenson: Alot - if you can hear it! The pool here in Sydney is pretty electric - you can hear the crowd, and they are pretty patriotic! It won't make the difference though between coming 8th to 1st - it just helps in situations - like in the relay on Saturday night!

Interviewer: Hansard: Nicole, swimming must be an obvious interest for you, but do you have time to have a look at other disciplines, if so what interests you most ?
Nicole Stevenson: Probably cycling - my husband was an Olympic cyclist in 1988 - so we both watched that with interest, but also I appreciate any kind of sport. I'm enjoying, at the moment, watching the Australian Equestrian team trying to defend their 3-day Olympic crown!

Interviewer: ^Fry: Do you think Kieren Perkins will keep up with Grant Hackett in the 1500M ?
Nicole Stevenson: I think Keiren will do his utmost to keep up with Grant - if he lets Grant go in the first 400m there's no way he'll be able to catch him up - so he'll have to, if he wants to win.

Interviewer: Garry: Did I hear correct that Hayley Lewis is pregnant ? If so, how would this affect her performance in the 800 metres ?
Nicole Stevenson: (laugh) No - she's not pregnant - good rumour!

Interviewer: Hansard: Some of the winners last night behaved very agressively after their win - is that a result of an adrenaline rush or just relief that they did well ?
Nicole Stevenson: I think a bit of both - they're obviously pretty psyched up to race well, and you have to remember that around 8 years of training has gone into this.

Interviewer: Leeza: I read in our paper that Sydney will host the cleanest Olympics yet, does that make the athletes feel proud as well ?
Nicole Stevenson: Very much so - I think all of us are good citizens and we like to be involved in an event which has a clean conscious.... it'd be nice if all the athletes were clean too!! (laugh)

Interviewer: BuBBLeS_: When you were racing how many medals did you win ?
Nicole Stevenson: 3 Olympic medals - a silver and 2 bronze.......

Interviewer: Cypher: I watched the womens air pistol shooting yesterday....how much training is required to enter such an event ?
Nicole Stevenson: They train quite a lot - Anne Marie was fantastic - she won a bronze medal. They've been based at the AIS for quite some time now, training as a group - and that obviously lifts performance. Someone like MIchael Diamond however, is an exception to the rule, he says he doens't train all that much, so he must just be exceptionally talented !

Interviewer: Garry: Even with Australia's high performance swimming, there is still room for improvement - as a result, are coaches constantly looking at how the other swimmers stroke (eg. Inge) to see how we can do better ?
Nicole Stevenson: Everyone's always looking for the smallest room for improvement, becasue the swimmers are swimming so fast now, they have to look for the smallest of things. Something like Michael Klim's suggestion of trying a fly style instead of a free style, should see the world record lowered even more in the future.

Interviewer: ^Fry: Do you think Susie was suprised by the quickness of new challengers like Inge de Bruijn ?
Nicole Stevenson: Inge's best event is the 100m both freestyle and butterfly - and Susie's best is 200m, so so far she remains unbeaten in a 6 year period - in the 200m! So there hasn't been that many challengers yet, but anything can happen at the Olympic Games!

Interviewer: Would you explain a bit more about "fly style" ?
Nicole Stevenson: (laugh) It is basically freestyle arms with a butterfly kick motion - Michael has been doing it in the final 10m of his 100m freestyle - but he's going to try and do it after the Olympics for the whole 100m.

Interviewer: Hansard: While we are talking about smallest things for performance improvement - did you notice the nails USA girls have - it's like having an inch longer palm ?
Nicole Stevenson: (lol) Yeah, the nails I think are probably more to make them feel good, than to swim fast, but it can come down to fingernails between first and second - so it'd probably help.

Interviewer: Garry: Why is someone like Susie able to do better over 200 and not as well over 100, and vice versa for Inge de Bruin ?
Nicole Stevenson: It's all about what they're suited to - Inge is taller and physically stronger - and more explosive. What we call being anaerobic, as compared to Susie who's more aerobic, with a bit of anaerobic thrown in!

Interviewer: ^Fry: Matt welsh is doing really well in backstroke. It's going to be an exciting game to watch tonight. Who do you tip to win that ?
Nicole Stevenson: I think Lenny Krayzelburg will be hard to beat - he's the world record holder, but you're right - Matt has been swimming very well, he just needs to get off to the perfect start, which he didn't have in the semifinals.

Interviewer: Leeza: Do the swim suits really have that much to do with a swimmers performance ?
Nicole Stevenson: No - not at all. At the end of the day you still have to train hard to win an Olympic gold medal. It's probably more psychological because it makes them feel pretty good about themselves.

Interviewer: Gabby`: Nicole - do most athletes realise that it isn't whether they win gold, silver or bronze, but it is whether they have tried their best.... is that the message they get taught ? ( because it is true! )
Nicole Stevenson: Very much so - it doesn't stop them from dreaming about it though. Every athlete wants to win a medal, but at the end of the day, being an Olympian is something to be proud of.

Interviewer: Penguins_on_Safari: As a back drop to the Games, do you think there is any other city in the world that can compare ?
Nicole Stevenson: (Laugh) No - definitely not, especially when I'm standing out here and staring at the beautiful blue sky and our great facilities. The Opera House, the Harbour and the Bridge have been the best backdrop to the Olympics - it's the best city for an Olympics - ever!

Interviewer: Garry: Do you think Liesl can get up over Penny Heynes given Penny's 3rd place in the semi ?
Nicole Stevenson: Liesl's got a great chance - all she needs to do is to go out as fast as the other girls because she brings it back better than anybody in the second 50, in the race.

Interviewer: Hansard: Nicole please pass all the best wishes from all chatters on BigPond Chat to the swimmers - they are doing fantastic job.
Nicole Stevenson: Thank you and keep cheering very loud!!!

Interviewer: Many thanks Nicole for talking to us today, congratulations on your successes already, have a great time, and best wishes from all the chatters and the BigPond Chat team !
Nicole Stevenson: Thanks very much - keep chatting and supporting all our Olympians!!!