Kenzie Buss excited for opportunity at Olympic Trials

SHAWANO - Talk to Kenzie Buss about next week and her eyes light up like the Olympic torch.

Maybe that’s because Tuesday the senior-to-be at Shawano High School will be in fast company in Omaha, Neb., literally, when she competes for a spot in the Olympics in the 100-meter backstroke.

Buss, a two-time state champion in the 100-yard backstroke, is excited for her biggest race to-date.

"I really don't know what it's going to be like,” Buss said. “I know that I am going to be really proud and excited that I made it this far and I've accomplished my goals."

• Click here to see photos of Buss in the water

Buss will be in elite company – ever hear of Michael Phelps? - when she heads to the Olympic Trials, but when she gets there, she's just going to try to do her best.

"I have my goals,” she said. “I want to drop at least a second in my event, if not more, and get a personal best. And just take it all in and learn for 2016 when I’m back.”

Buss said she swims the 100-meter backstroke in about 1 minute, 3 seconds, and figures the top times will be around 59 seconds. There are bout 170 competitors who will swim preliminaries in the event and only two from finals actually advance to the Olympic, so Buss knows she's a long shot, and she's OK with that.

"I always said I wanted to compete in the Olympic Trials,” Buss said. “For me to be able to do it, it's just a great feeling and to know I'm finally making my dream reality is awesome."

Buss, who will swim around 9 a.m. Tuesday, will be performing at the same trials Phelps and Natalie Coughlin will be swimming in. That seems incredible to her.

“I’ve thought about it a lot,” she said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like. I wanted to swim at this meet since I was a little girl, so it’s really exciting.”

The experience next week will be worth the 10-hour drive to Omaha, but Buss wants to be at her best. She knows what her key is.

“They say practice is 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental,” Buss said. “When I get there on the big stage, it will be 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, so as long as I have my head in the game I’m excited and I think I’ll do well.”

Competing in the trials is a dream come true and it’s also good timing for college recruiting. Next month is the time when colleges start contacting athletes and Buss is happy about that.

“They’ll be able to talk to me July 1,” Buss said. “It’s kind of convenient. They’ll all be down there watching.”

What they’re going to see is a hard-working swimmer who believes there’s a lot more to accomplish. Buss started swimming competitively at age 7 and that’s when Paul Villez, who admits he’s not the most knowledgeable swim coach, joined her.

Villez coaches the Shawano Community Swim Team and said it’s no secret how Buss has become such a good swimmer.

"She's in the pool seven days a week, probably,” Villez said. “Dry-land training four, five times a week. And she misses out on a lot. This is what she wanted to do. I said, OK, I'll help you get there. We made it. It's very exciting."

Buss knows she gave up some things in order to take a shot at her swimming dreams.

“I put in a lot of hard work,” Buss said. “I’ve missed out on a lot of things; a lot of different school activities because I had to practice or I had to work out. It’s nice when it all pays off.”

As you can imagine Buss' family is proud of what she already has accomplished.

"I'm very proud,” said Nancy Buss, Kenzie’s mother. “She worked very, very hard; sacrificed a lot. For her to say when she was 13 some day she would like to swim at Olympic Trials and four years later she's swimming there speaks a lot."

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

doug.ritchay@wluk.com