It seems every day brings another good news, bad news scenario for Izzy Gati.
Bad news: The 2020 Olympic Games the El Dorado native has targeted since the ninth grade were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news? That gives the All-SEC swimmer another year of preparation.
Bad news: The coronavirus ended her sophomore swim season at the University of Kentucky. The good news? Gati returned to El Dorado where she’s been able to spend time with her family.
Making the best of difficult situations has been a strength for Gati, who won a state swim championship at El Dorado as a freshman before moving to Virginia to attend The Madeira School.
“This is the longest I have been home since I was 15, five years ago, before I moved away,” said Gati, who has been home since the middle of March.
“It has been nice to spend time with my family. We have family game night and movie night which has been fun. Being back home with them has given me a nice change of pace.”
The daughter of Ken and Daion Gati has spent a lot of time staying in shape at the HealthWorks Fitness Center pool and said she’s started giving swim lessons.
“Most of my summer I have been taking summer class. I decided to take four classes, 10 credit hours this summer so that has been keeping me busy,” said Gati, who admitted moving back to a small town has been an adjustment.
“In Lexington there was always something I could do or somewhere I could go if I was bored. I miss all the restaurant options and food delivery services that I was able to get in a bigger city.”
Speaking of small towns, Gati’s Olympic dreams made it necessary to leave El Dorado in the first place. Besides boarding at Madeira School, she received world class training at the Nation’s Capital Swim Club.
The bad news? Being away from school means being away from her coaches and world class teammates.
“Being back home has been challenging in my preparation. I am used to swimming with a team and now I am training alone,” Gati said. “I am very lucky that our coaches have been giving me workouts to do in the pool and weight room to get back in shape. Not having my teammates and coaches is hard because I do not have anyone to encourage me and push me. Whenever I do not feel motivated to do a workout, I try to remind myself to do it for my team for our upcoming season.”
Gati has qualified for the US Olympic Trials in both the 100 and 200 butterfly. The trials were moved to June 13-20, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Getting another year to improve is a huge advantage for me. This past year I made huge strides in swimming that I am hoping to improve upon in the next couple months,” said Gati, who has remained focused on her goal even as the coronavirus threatens the 2021 Olympic Games.
“Even with the uncertainty of the 2021 Olympics, I am still training as if they are happening. Having an extra year of training is advantageous for me. Every swimmer’s dream is to make the Olympic team but just to make trials and compete against the best in the United States is a huge accomplishment.”
COVID-19 has produced a lot of bad news for the world. Away from her school, her team and coaches, Gati preferred to focus on the good news.
“I think this summer has given me a new appreciation for the team atmosphere at Kentucky,” she said. “The girls on the team are my best friends and it has been hard not being able to see them every day. Being with my family has been nice. It is nice to have home-cooked meals and a fully-stocked fridge and pantry.”
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July 06, 2020 at 07:10AM
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Gati makes the best of difficult situation - El Dorado News-Times
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