泳坛名将---凯蒂.霍夫(Katie Hoff)

Katie Hoff
I am not much different than any other 17 years old. I like to go shopping, go to movie, dance and have a good time with friends. But that’s sounds boring because that is what everyone likes to do. I did recently learn to rock climb. I want to learn how to water ski. I can’t do it, I keep falling. I could live in color purple; I am obsessed. I have purple swimming suit, bags, purses, tops, boots, tooth brush, flip flops and a lot more.

Katie Hoff的自我介绍
其实，我和其他17的女孩没有什么两样，我喜欢购物，看电影，跳舞，或者和我的好朋友一起度过一段美好的时光！可是，这个听起来似乎没有什么吸引力：这个差不多其他的人都是这个样的！所以我现在学会了攀岩，还想学习滑水，可现在还不行，老是摔倒落水。生活中的我迷恋紫色，我就像生活在紫色的世界：我有紫色的游泳套装，背包，钱包，上衣，靴子，牙刷 ,人字拖鞋，还有很多其他的东西也是紫色的！

Pooling their talent（分享他们的天才）－－－(06年8月对KATIE HOFF的评论)
Record –setting 17-year-old Katie Hoff led a new wave of Americans who made a splash at the nationals and are ready to reestablish the U.S. as the world’s No. 1 women’s team
在新纪录的创造者、17岁的Katie Hoff的带领下，美国队出现了一波新的爆发，并正在朝着重建美国女队世界霸主的地位进发！

Hard as it is to imagine now, there was a time when Katie Hoff found swimming too competitive. She was five years old, and she quit the sport for a year after just one summer-league season. Now look at her. After every race, she swam at the national championship in Irvine, Calif., last week, the 17-year-old could be found on the deck of the warm down pool, making 50-cent bets with Larry the lactate Guy on how much lactic acid would show up in her post race blood test. “Some people laugh at me and say I need to go to Gamblers Anonymous,” says Hoff, who frequently makes small stakes wagers on practice swims with her North Baltimore Aquatic Club teammates. “I’m just really competitive. Betting keeps things interesting.” It also brings in extra cash. “she swept our bets this week,” says the Lactate Guy, whose real name is Larry Herr and whose title is performance database director for USA Swimming. “She won $6.50 off me.”
现在很难想象，当初Katie Hoff曾经认为游泳的竞争性太强了。当时她只有5岁，为此她在参加完当年的夏季联赛之后退出了这项运动，时间长达一年！可现在再看看她：上周在加州的Irvine举行的全国锦标赛上，这个17岁的小女孩，在每次比赛完了之后，便坐在放松池的地面上，和那个负责乳酸检测的家伙Larry玩猜硬币游戏，赌她在刚结束的比赛后的乳酸数值！“有些人开玩笑说我应该去匿名赌徒协会，”Hoff戏言道，事实上，她也的确经常和她在北巴尔的摩水上俱乐部的队友玩一些小额的赌博，赌一赌俱乐部的比赛成绩。“我们的竞争太强烈了，打赌可以维持自己的兴趣！”她还真能赢一些现金：“她横扫了这一周的下注，”那个真名叫Larry Herr的乳酸测量、同时也是全美游泳协会的训练数据库总监的家伙说：“她从我这儿就赢了6.5美金！”

Hoff had an even better week in the pool. She won her two signature races, setting an American record in the 200-meter individual medley (2:10.05) and turning in the fastest 400 IM time (4:35.82) ever swum in the U.S. She also came within a finger’s length of winning the 200 and 400 freestyles. “Katie is phenomenal,” says Ray Benecki, who coaches Kate Ziegler, the winner of the 400 free. “Being an IMer, she has the world in front of her. If she put mind do it, she could do well in the Olympics in the 2008 back, the 200 fly and 200 breaststroke too.”
但在泳池里面，Hoff有表现更好的一周！她赢得了两个更高荣誉：创造了两项全美新纪录200米个人混合泳（2:10.05）和400米个人混合泳的最好成绩。同时她离200米和400米的自由泳的胜利也只差一个手指的距离！“Katie是一个现象，”400米自由泳冠军得主Kate Ziegler的教练Ray Benecki说：“作为一个混合泳运动员，她有更广阔的空间，如果她更刻苦一些，2008奥运会上，她还可以在仰泳、200蝶泳和200蛙泳上取得好成绩！”

As a 15-year-old, Hoff was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic swim team in Athens. Racked by nerves, she had a disastrous meet, finishing seventh in the 200 IM and failing to qualify for the finals in the 400IM. She rebounded spectacularly at the world championships last summer, winning gold medals in those two events as well as one in the 4x200 free relay. “I’ve learned to relax and calm myself before races by taking deep breaths,” says Hoff.
当年作为一个只有15岁的运动员，Hoff是雅典奥运会上美国游泳队中最年轻的成员。由于紧张，她的表现令人失望：200个人混合排名17，400米个人混合没能通过预赛。但她在去年夏天进行的世界锦标赛上获得了巨大的成功，获得了那两个项目的胜利，同时还获得了4x200米自由泳接力的金牌。Hoff说：“我已经学会了在比赛前如何通过深呼吸来放松和保持镇静。”

Hoff has already qualified for the 2008 Olympic trials in all 13 women’s individual events. Speedo thinks her potential is so enormous it signed her to a 10-year endorsement deal, the longest such contract in company history. “Chances are Katie Hoff is going to produce, if not now, in the future,” says U.S. head coach Mark Schubert. “She is on a trajectory to be one of the greatest swimmers in the history of our country.”
对于2008奥运会，Hoff在所有的13个女子个人项目中都已达标。Speedo认为她的潜力巨大，因此一次性的和她签了10年的代言合同，这是这个公司有史以来一份最长的合约！“Katie Hoff正在准备创造机会，即便不是现在，将来一定会的！”美国游泳队主教练Mark Schubert称。“她正在通往一个美国历史上最伟大选手的路上！”

For now Hoff is just one of a screw of young but seasoned swimmers who will join five-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin in a quest to reestablish the U.S. as the dominant women’s team in the world. The first test will come at the Pan Pacific championships, which begin on Aug. 17 in Victoria, B.C. The American women face a tough task. Since they won 10 medals (including three gold) in Athens --- a yield that barely beat that of the Aussie women (nine medals, four golds) --- the competition has gotten stiffer.
但目前的Hoff只是一个年轻且具有丰富经验的游泳运动员，她将和5次奥运金牌运动员Natalie Coughlin一道，准备组成一支世界上最优秀的队伍。这支队伍面临的第一个挑战将是于8月17日在Victoria, B.C.举行的泛太平洋游泳锦标赛。美国女队将会面临艰巨的任务。因为她们在雅典奥运会上获得10枚奖牌（包括三枚金牌）---屈居少有败绩的澳洲女队之后（9枚奖牌，4枚金牌）---战斗将会非常的艰难！

During the European championships in Budapest last week, German women set three world records in the sprint freestyle events, including a scorching 7:50.82 in the 4x200 relay that lopped 2.6 seconds off the mark established by the U.S. team in Athens. Add to that the emergence of the Australian sprinters in the last years, says Schubert, “and we recognize that we need to improve in the sprints between now and 2008. So we’re focusing on the 100 and 200 free.”
上周在布达佩斯举行的欧洲锦标赛上，德国的女运动员刷新了三项自由泳的世界纪录，包括一项4x200米自由泳接力项目，德国队以7:50.82的成绩获胜，并以2.6秒的优势大幅刷新了原来由美国队在雅典创造的纪录。考虑到最近一年来澳大利亚女队的表现，Schubert认为：“从现在到2008年之间，我们应该尽快提高我们的自由泳的训练水平，我们必须关注100米和200米自由泳的状况！”

Passing the torch   ------   (05年对KATIE HOFF的评论)
火炬的接力

Through the years, the American swimming scene has been blessed with an arsenal of young guns, namely female sensations who have bolted to the pinnacle of their events, often highlighting their careers with Olympic gold. (Pictured at right, from left) In the 1970s, Tracy Caulkins fit the bill. The torch was passed to Janet Evans for the 1980s. In the 1990s, Amanda Beard assumed the role. With the new millennium, 16-year-old Katie Hoff has emerged as the teenager who will lead the way to China, site of the 2008 Olympic Games.
最近几年，美国游泳界在享受着几条最夺目的光芒。特别是几员女将的出色表演，耀眼的奥运金牌将她们的事业带到了最高峰！（右边的图片，顺序从左边开始）在20世纪70年代，Tracy Caulkins举起的火炬，传递到80年代的Janet Evans，再递交到90年代的Amanda Beard；随着千禧年的到来，新的火炬手已经浮现：16岁的Katie Hoff将高擎着这只火炬前往中国----2008奥运会的举办地！

Katie Hoff, 16, seems to be the swimming version of a handyman. She can do a little bit of everything.
Katie Hoff，16岁年龄。她看起来就像游泳班的杂工，她似乎每件事情可以做一些！

That versatility has drawn comparisons to the likes of Tracy Caulkins, considered the greatest female in U.S. history. Hoff, too, has been measured against Michael Phelps, their club and event ties too much to deny. Then again, maybe we should look at Katie Hoff as Katie Hoff, and no one else.
就像美国历史上最成功的女运动员Tracy Caulkins那样，Katie Hoff也是一个多面手。她现在也已经可以和Michael Phelps相提并论了。她们的俱乐部和她们的比赛紧密相连。现在，也许我们应该开始意识到：Katie Hoff就是Katie Hoff，而不是其他任何人！

After all, her accomplishments speak loudly, and without assistance.
无论如何，她取得了巨大的成绩，完全不需要任何其他的衬托！

For a little more than a year, Hoff has been blowing through the world’s waters, etching her name first as a primary player in the individual medley events and, most recently, on an across-the-board basis. A member of the north Baltimore Aquatic club, she’s been touted as the next coming of Caulkins, largely based on her ability to bounce from event to event with resounding success.
在这一年稍多的时间里，Hoff已经震动世界泳坛，她已经牢牢的占据了混合泳这个项目上世界最主要选手的位置。同时也在向全能型选手迈进！作为北巴尔的摩水上俱乐部的成员，基于最近她所取得一系列巨大的成功，她已经被神化为下一个Caulkins。

It was in Long Beach (Calif.) last year where Hoff’s stock soared, thanks to Olympic qualifications in the 200 and 400 IM. But that competition, followed by the Olympics and World Short Course Championships, marked only the start of bigger and better.
去年，在长滩（加州）进行的奥运会200米和400米混合泳选拔赛上的出色表现，Hoff这只股票持续走高！然而，那次比赛以及随后的奥运会和世界短池锦标赛上的表现，仅是她取得了越来越大、越来越好成功的开端！

Competing at the U.S. Trials in Indianapolis in April, Hoff qualified for this summer’s World Championships in Montreal in four events, spread over three disciplines. She whipped the opposition in the IM events, took top honors in the 200 free and picked up second in the 200 back. Had she contested the 200 fly, she would have been in the mix in that event as well.
4月的Indianapolis选拔赛上，Hoff获得了将在今年夏天举行的蒙特利尔世界游泳锦标赛的四项比赛资格，这四项赛事涵盖了三个项目。她在混合泳项目中所向无敌，200米自由泳项目取得了第一，在200仰泳中获得第二。她没有参加200蝶泳的选拔，如果参与，她也将取得好成绩！

Considering the depth of her program, it was only a matter of time before the comparison started to roll in. Jack Bauerle, the university of Georgia coach who will guide the U.S. women at the World Champs, spoke of a bright future.
根据她的训练成绩，在比赛中取得好成绩只是时间的问题。佐治亚大学教练，同时也将指导世锦赛中美国女队的Jack Bauerle给我们描述了一个光明的前景。

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH HER ----- (带着非同寻常的动力)
“We’re very excited about her,” Baurle said in Indy. “It’s been really great watching her here. she’s going to be a force down the road.”
“我们对她非常高兴，”Baurle在Indy说，“能看到她在这儿训练，真是太好了！她将成为我们前进的动力！”

In many ways, she already is.
在许多方面，她已经是这样了。

“Whenever anyone looks at Katie and groups her with Phelps and Caulkins, we see it as support,” said Hoff’s coach, Paul Yetter. “It’s not pressure, it’s motivation. She thinks it's awesome. But we also realize that Katie’s not at the same level as Caulkins. We have to keep working. She wants to be a primetime player for Team USA. ”
“现在，所有见过Katie的人都会把她和Phelps和Caulkins并列，我们感谢大家的支持，”Hoff的教练Paul Yetter讲到：“这并不是压力，这是鼓励！她本人感觉到了敬畏！但我们也应该意识到，Katie还没有达到Caulkins的高度。我们还需要继续努力，她希望能够成为美国游泳队的最主要成员。”

The drive to be defined as one of the elite swimmers in the world is a major reason for Hoff’s embrace of a multitude of events. While she broke out as a medley swimmer, she did not sit back and ride that wave. Instead, her search for greatness was expanded to individual strokes, which- no doubt- would also benefit her IM forays.
渴望成为世界泳坛杰出运动员的理想是Hoff成为全能型选手的动力。当她成功突破混合泳之后，她就没有再向返回过去仅做混合泳选手的想法。事实上，她渴望同时成为伟大的单项选手，而且这些同时能够对她的混合泳亦大有裨益！

In Indianapolis, the dedication to expansion was clearly evident. The future, meanwhile, is expected to bring much of the same, and a little more. Soon, the butterfly will work its way onto the individual agenda. Her 100 free, too, should improve to the point where she’s fast enough for international relay duty.
在印第安纳波利斯，扩项带来的成功是个证明。同时，我们期待着将来还会有更多。希望蝶泳也能成为另一个单项。她的100米自由泳，应该再提高一些，这样能够胜任国际比赛中的接力任务！

“We’re always looking to get better, and the easiest things to work on are the weaknesses. That’s what we’ve attacked,” Yetter said. “We saw the need for improvement in her kicking and turns, so we focused there and it’s helped with her freestyle and backstroke. A year ago, I would have said that the backstroke was her worst stroke. Now, I don’t know if it’s her best or worst. ”
“我们总是希望能够做得更好，最容易的事情便是改进弱项，那是我们战斗的地方，”Yetter说：“我感觉她需要提高她的打腿和转身，那么我们就专注于这一块的训练，这将大大有助于她的自由泳和仰泳。一年前，她的仰泳是她最弱的项目，但现在，我不知道这是她最好的还是最差的项目。”