Tom Alberi Season 2005-06

What is the best part about being on the Virginia Tech swimming and diving team?
"I'd have to say the team itself, especially the guys' team. It's just a great group of guys. I love being around them. They're probably the most cohesive team I've ever been on."

What's the worst part then?
"It has to be all of the hours we put in. It certainly distracts from my school work a little bit, but it all pays off in the end."

If you could play any other sport, what would it be?
"I'd have to say, just for the shear fame factor, it would have to be football. Just because of all that attention. With swimming you're kind of tucked away at War Memorial. Football would be great."

Did you play football growing up?
"No, the only other sports I played were soccer and baseball. Actually I did enjoy baseball, but I had to give it up."

So if you could be Michael Phelps or Alex Rodriguez for a day, who would you be?
"Michael Phelps."

Tell me something about Maine that nobody else knows about?
"Well, people think it's really cold and it's actually very similar to the weather in Blacksburg. I don't feel a change at all. It's probably just a few degrees colder. But it's very similar."

Do people ask you any weird questions about Maine?
"I guess when I came here on my recruiting trip, I told (head coach) Ned (Skinner) that I lived near the coast. And he asked, 'does that mean you live on an island?'

What do you do before you get in the water for an event?
"I make sure I'm properly hydrated, and well-stretched. I like to do a pretty good warm up to get my heart-rate going. Other than that I just try to stay focused and go through in my mind what my race is composed of, what times I need to hold for my splits. That's about it."

What goes through your mind during your race?
"During my swim, I just try to block everything out. People cheering on the side, I don't hear any of that. I don't look at anyone out of the water, I'm just focused on my race and where my competitors are."

Does shaving really help in swimming?
"I think it works a lot. It's somewhat psychological. Mostly it's just when you dive in the water, you feel like you're going faster. It's a huge difference when you take all that hair off."

What was the last DVD you bought?
"Hunter S. Thompson's 'Fear and Loathing Las Vegas', the Criterion Collection. It's the one with all the extras and stuff. It was a pretty good movie."

True or false. Bloodsport was the worst movie shown on a swimming road trip so far this year.
"False. By far. I love that movie."

What would be the worst movie then?
"We watched Flash Gordon a couple weeks ago, and nobody seemed to like it that much. I thought it was alright, but not great. Pretty cheesy."

What has been your favorite memory as a Hokie?
"Last year's ACC meet was probably the best meet I've ever had. I finished third in the 100 backstroke, and actually through prelims, I was seeded first. But ended up scoring third in that. I just made some huge drops in my races, which is pretty encouraging for this year."

What are you going to miss most next year when you're done with swimming?
"Probably the team. I'm obviously not going to miss the waking up at 5 am for practice. But definitely hanging around with the team and all the guys. I'm definitely going to miss that a lot."