Sherry Tsai

Bryce Alderton

As much as swimming can be categorized as an “individual” sport, the

idea of a cohesive team clings to the heart of Orange Coast College’s

newest wonder in the water -- Sherry Tsai.

The 19-year-old came to the United States for the first time last

summer and recently helped bring the championship feeling back to

Orange Coast, which won the state title at the women’s community

college state swimming finals in Pleasant Hill May 3, capping an

undefeated season.

Tsai, who represented Hong Kong on the international level and

competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, set six state records in

winning four individual events and two relays while capturing three

national records at the state championships as OCC won its first

state title since 1997, gaining 533.5 points to runner-up Diablo

Valley’s 370.

Tsai set state and national records in the 50-yard backstroke

(26.06), 100 backstroke (54.86) and 100 individual medley (58.23).

She swam a 51.11 in the 100 freestyle to set a state mark and was a

part of the winning 200 and 400 medley relay teams for Coast that

each set state standards. She joined Kimberlee Frith, Sara Natalizio

and Ashley Lowden in the 400 medley relay (3:56.88) while teaming

with Stephanie Wood, Jennifer Nelson and Natalizio in the 200 medley

relay (1:49.26).

“It was the happiest thing ever because not only did I break

records, but everyone showed teamwork and spirit for one another,”

Tsai said about her experience at the state meet. She was named

Co-Swimmer of the Year along with Sierra College’s Renee Dyer and

earned Most Outstanding Performance at the state championships.

One of Tsai’s coaches, Don Watson -- Dave Salo is the other --

speaks more frequently of her likable personality than the records

she has set. Both Watson and Salo were named Co-Coaches of the Year

as Coast won its 13th state title.

Watson recalled one night in December when the team gathered at

his home. As the swimmers talked among themselves and voices bounced

off the walls, Tsai sat up and exclaimed, “My heart is melting, this

is the happiest day of my life.”

She was referring to the companionship her teammates bring.

“My wife broke into tears,” Watson said. “That is the reason I got

into coaching. [Tsai] is a wonderfully talented person who recognized

a special experience involving teammates.”

Meeting new people has come easy for Tsai, who rents a room from a

family living in Santa Ana.

“I’ve made many new friends, so I feel all right now,” Tsai said

when asked if it was difficult transitioning into American culture.

Homesickness does creep in from time to time for Tsai, but she

talks to her immediate family, consisting of mother Elena and father

Wah, along with brother Gary, every two days and sees them when they

fly in for vacations.

World cultures hardly make Tsai’s nerves rattle. She finished 33rd

in the 100-meter back at the 2000 Olympics, where she also raced in

the 50 free.

She has her sights set on the 2004 and 2008 Games -- the latter

scheduled for Beijing, China -- as well as this summer’s World

Championships in Barcelona, Spain.

Salo, in his 13th year as head coach for the Irvine Novaquatics

swim club, along with being the assistant coach for the U.S. national

team, will travel to the World Championships with Tsai in July. Salo

introduced Tsai to club swimming in the U.S. She heard about the

Novas from a friend who learned under Salo.

“Competing at a high level has given her a lot of confidence,”

Salo said. “She is training in a competitive environment, which might

not have happened [in Hong Kong].”

Tsai wanted to come to the U.S. so she could swim and go to school

at the same time.

“The university schedule in Hong Kong is too tight, so I wouldn’t

have been able to keep up my training,” said Tsai, who plans to major

in business management, ideally transferring to UC Berkeley sometime

next year. “I also wanted to train with some of the top club swimmers

in the U.S.”

A steady work ethic has been the key for Tsai’s success, Salo

said.

“She is kind of an unassuming swimmer,” he said. “She is not real

emotional, but she works hard to improve her skill level. She is an

ideal athlete to work with and still has room for improvement.

“Both the Coast men and the women appreciate her skill level.

Somebody that good in the water raises the expectations of the

school.”

Swimming in the U.S. has its differences from Hong Kong, she said.

“[In the U.S.] I focus more on my stroke and the workouts are more

intensive than in Hong Kong,” she said. “In Hong Kong, I swam greater

distances, like 7,000 [meters] compared to 5,000 in the U.S.”

Tsai hopes to transfer to Berkeley by next spring. She needs to

complete 18 more units at Coast to earn her associate’s degree.

After she graduates from a university, Tsai, who started swimming

when she was 10 and competed for the first time internationally at

12, plans on returning to her native Hong Kong.

For right now, she is living in the moment, enjoying each hour

spent with teammates, friends and anyone else around her.

“In the U.S., people are open-minded and friendly, which has

allowed me to make friends easily,” she said.

Several have befriended a champion.