Indiana University Athletics
Thrive Through Transition
1/24/2022 9:22:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Indiana’s New International Duo Embraces Team
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Ching Hwee Gan hadn't seen snow since she traveled from her home in Singapore to South Korea for a holiday 10 years ago. Suddenly, the Indiana freshman swimmer was walking to class through an American college campus blanketed with a layer of snow, acclimating to everyday winter temperatures in the teens and twenties.
So, in her first week on campus last month, she crocheted a blanket to have in her dorm room. As international swimmers transition to life in the United States, a new climate presents just one of the many adjustments they must face.
"Everything's different," Indiana head swimming coach Ray Looze, who has coached a fair share of international swimmers, said. "The people, the food, the weather, certainly the academics, the language. It's a challenge."
This winter, Gan was one of two international swimmers added to Indiana women's swimming and diving roster. Gan and Poland native Dominika Kossakowska are the newest faces in Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center this spring, two foreign freshmen thrust into the middle of an NCAA Division I swimming and diving season.
Gan is a bright and bubbly distance freestyle swimmer that recently earned a perfect score on the International Baccalaureate. She has many hobbies, including gardening, baking and, of course, crocheting. Kossakowska loves sports in general; inspired by Polish soccer star Robert Lewandowski, she might have played soccer if not for her swimming ability. They're two normal personalities taking on some abnormal challenges.
"All we're focused on is making sure they have a nice, smooth, happy transition," Looze said. "Stress free."
Among the changes, pool length creates a unique challenge for international swimmers. Gan and Kossakowska are used to competing in a 25-meter pool, but now they're swimming in a shorter 25-yard pool, which forces them to adjust to quicker turns.
Last week, the duo had its first taste of competition in the new format during Indiana's first dual meet of the spring. While Kossakowska had been at IU for just a week, Gan was tasked with three difficult events: the 1,000-Yard Freestyle, 500-Yard Freestyle and 400 Individual Medley. It was their next challenge.
With Looze and the rest of the IU coaching staff guiding them to ease their way into collegiate competition, the pair had a positive mindset on meet day.
"I've never raced short course yards before, so leading up to it I was a little bit nervous," Gan said. "I just told myself [there were] no expectations of myself. I'm just going to go in there [and] do my best. It's for the team, so I'll try my best to get the points."
"All that was in my head was do it for the team, do it for IU."
That team aspect of collegiate swimming is new to Gan and Kossakowska as well. Neither are used to training alongside such a large squad or competing towards a group goal, save for relays. Now, their finishes also earn points towards the collective team performance, and they see how rewarding that can be.
"We just lift each other up," Gan said. "Being part of something that is more than ourselves, it gives us more motivation to be at our best, push our limits and challenge ourselves."
At the same time, it creates an encouraging environment at the pool that allows for both individual skills and interpersonal relationships to grow. As Gan and Kossakowska experience all the unique elements of college swimming, their teammates and coaches have been right beside them.
"They are very helpful," Kossakowska said. "When the practice is hard, I don't feel it because my teammates and coaches help me and [encourage] me. It's really nice, and I need it."
Looze said he is proud of how his team has embraced its newcomers.
"If I know these girls, they have really welcomed them with open arms and have treated them like sisters," he said. "And they're excited to have them as teammates."
And the team spirit has persisted outside of the pool as well. As Gan and Kossakowska have adjusted to their new setting, they said their fellow Hoosiers have aimed to make the transition easier, even in everyday things like getting around campus and socializing.
In turn, they respond with encouragement for their teammates.
"When I cheer for my teammates, I feel that adrenaline, a lot of adrenaline," Gan said. "I think it really helps."
So, while this united group works towards team goals, they're also improving themselves to tackle individual ambitions as well. Like most of their teammates, Gan and Kossakowska have their eyes set on qualifying for the Olympics.
Last summer, Kossakowska actually traveled to Tokyo as part of Poland's Olympic roster. Unfortunately, due to a submission error by the Polish federation, she and five teammates were sent home and did not compete. Kossakowska said that this experience motivated her to train at Indiana, a program with a reputation for producing Olympians.
Gan is determined as well, currently owning national records in Singapore for the 1500-Meter Freestyle and 4x200-Meter Freestyle Relay.
"I think it was a really hard decision for us because it's very far away [from] our countries, our family, but I think we can do it," Kossakowsa said.
This transitional period of their journey may be one of the hardest most difficult stages they face on the way to achieving their goals. But with support from their families across the globe and from their added family at IU, they're on track to push through.
