National Champion Finds her Place

Becky Weima likes to swim for fun, but the way she splashes around in the pool differs from most summer sunbathers. Weima’s idea of a fun swim is setting a national record or winning a national championship.

“I’m a pretty determined person, but I wouldn’t be out there if I wasn’t having fun,” she said.

Weima, who recently won NCAA III national championships in three individual events, is among the fastest freestylers in the country and the most prolific swimmer in Calvin history — pretty amazing for a swimmer who learned how to do a flip turn only a few years ago.

Becky Weima

“I went out for swimming in high school because I didn’t have a fall sport and some of my friends swam. I didn’t know what I was doing,” said the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian High School grad. “After two weeks I wanted to quit.”

But after sticking with it for a season — and getting those turns down — Weima started having some success.

In fact, as a high school senior, Division I, II and III schools heavily recruited her.

“I visited other schools, and their facilities were amazing,” she said. “They treat their recruits, much less their athletes, like royalty. I wanted to like these places; I wanted to say I had a scholarship to some big-name school, but I didn’t feel like I belonged.

“They tried to impress me by showing me the party scene, but I didn’t connect with anybody on the team or the coaches.”

Then Weima visited Calvin. “I was impressed by the Christian community shared by the team, and the way (coach) Dan (Gelderloos) stressed the importance of bonding as a team,” she said. “I immediately felt like I fit in.”

Since coming to Calvin, Weima has had the benefit of attending the Student Life-sponsored Gainey Leadership Retreat. “My first year I was a little apprehensive about whether or not Calvin was the right place for me,” she said. “After I went on the Gainey retreat, God opened my heart. It gave me the opportunity to develop as a leader and as a Christian, and I knew that Calvin is where God wants me to be.”

Weima, a junior, said that being a part of the Calvin community has changed her attitude and her outlook on life. “When kids from my high school graduate and are asked where they’re going to college, they say they’re ‘just going to Calvin.’ I probably said that,” she said. “My answer now would definitely change; I’d be excited about saying, ‘I’m going to Calvin.’”