Pete Kukors sends his daughter Ariana the same text message before nearly every race that she swims.
"I believe."
Simple. To the point.
And a reminder of that night in Omaha back in 2008 when Ariana Kukors felt as if she had left her heart at the bottom of the pool.
Kukors a few hours before had finished third in the 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic Trials — behind American stars Katie Hoff and Natalie Coughlin — falling a mere eight-hundredths of a second short of making the Olympic team.
Not one to show emotion, she went through her cool-down swim and drug testing, walked back to her hotel and calmly asked her dad to come by.
"I got in his car and just broke down and started crying," she said. "I looked up at him after awhile — and he knew what it meant to me — and asked him not to give up on me and to continue to believe in me."
Thus the texts.
"When you work that hard for something, have that tunnel vision for something, it hurts when you don't achieve it," Kukors said. "But he just said he was so proud of me, and that experience just made us closer than ever before."
Kukors, 22, is no less focused with the 2012 U.S. Trials a little more than eight months out.
Just maybe more relaxed.
The native of Auburn, Wash., who trains in Fullerton, Calif., said something she learned from 2008 was to avoid putting so much pressure on herself going into an Olympic year. She's finding a better balance and perspective as she prepares for 2012.
"I know I have great days behind me, so I'm not looking to be Superwoman," said Kukors, who visited Omaha this week for some interviews and appearances. "One of the mistakes I made in 2008 was trying to be so much better than I was before. I was already doing things right and put my work in, but I got caught up in being extraordinary instead of just being myself every day.
"What 2008 taught me was to live in the moment more than anything. Celebrate small victories and learn from the setbacks."
After winning a bronze in the 200 IM at the World Championships in Shanghai this summer, Kukors took a break and skipped nationals. This fall is about working on her strength and honing her technique in the pool.
Kukors will head to a Grand Prix meet in Minneapolis in November, then hopes to take part in her first Duel in the Pool in Atlanta in December. After a few meets here and there in 2012, she'll be back in Omaha for the June 8 to 10 Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational.
She still thinks about 2008 and a race she was leading after 150 meters before Hoff and Coughlin swam by in the freestyle portion of the IM.
"Going into the last 50, I had one of those out-of-body experiences," Kukors said. "I remember thinking, 'You're in first place right now and you have two of the fastest freestylers waiting to come run you down.' I kind of went into panic mode. I really need to address that.
"But in no way am I ashamed of that swim. I literally put everything on the line against two of the best swimmers in history."
Kukors was joined at the 2008 U.S. Trials by older sister Emily and younger sister Mattie. Emily has since retired, but Mattie already has qualified and will return.
So will Kukors' parents, Pete and Jaapje, and Pete will remind Ariana one more time that he believes.
"I'm really excited to be back there," she said.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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