An Olympic quest

Kahla Walkinshaw cannot walk on water, but she can move pretty fast under it.

Walkinshaw, a junior on the UB swim team, recently set a pool record at Canisius College, and in 2004 competed at the Canadian Olympic trials.

"Olympic trials have been something that growing up, you need to do," Walkinshaw said. "Going to the Olympics is the ideal goal, but going to the Olympic trials would be a steppingstone to it. That meet was surreal to be there: just a shot to make the Olympics."

Walkinshaw knew going into the trials that it was unlikely she would make the team.

"I knew making the team was going to be a long shot, but I went in there to do my best," Walkinshaw said. "I didn't have a lot of expectations because I had never been to that caliber of meet before."

Walkinshaw, born in Hamilton, Ontario, has an intense love and pride for her country. Even if she never makes the Olympic team, one goal that Walkinshaw would like to accomplish is representing the Canadian team in any national event.

"To represent Canada in any meet would be phenomenal," Walkinshaw said.

In her freshman year at UB, Walkinshaw was named the team's Top Newcomer, as she reached the finals of the Mid-American Conference championships in the 200-yard butterfly.

"I didn't really know what success was going to be like coming to a D-I school," Walkinshaw said. "My teammates helped me a lot."

Walkinshaw added that her teammates and coaches helped her settle in and overcome the struggles of being a freshman in a new environment.

"We had a really big freshman class, and I knew some of the girls," Walkinshaw said. "We were all coming in together. There was a learning curve for us, especially coming from Canada and learning a new system. Our coach was really patient."

On any given day, Walkinshaw can swim over 12,000 yards, or 36,000 feet, in order to better prepare as one of the team's distance swimmers. Walkinshaw estimates she swims over 50,000 yards, or 28 miles over the course of a week.

Through all of the hard work, Walkinshaw can't see her life without swimming. She has been at it since the age of seven, when her parents, who she calls her role models, enrolled her in a swimming class.

"I always wanted to be in the water, so they put me in a swimming class and from day one I fell in love. I was addicted," Walkinshaw said.

Though Walkinshaw has been swimming for 13 years, she still has a drive to be the best. Her "get tough" philosophy provides the motivation that she needs.

"I've always wanted to swim competitively," Walkinshaw said. "When my alarm goes off at 5:15 in the morning, I want to stay in bed, but once you get to the pool, you want to work. If you're going to be here, you might as well put the effort in."

All of her work and effort paid off in the team's first meet of this season against Canisius, where Walkinshaw set a Canisius pool record by finishing the 500 freestyle in 5:11.65.

"Going into Canisius we knew that the pool records weren't overly challenging in some of the events," Walkinshaw said. "Setting the pool record and having your name there is huge. Your name's going to be there and people are going to see that. Knowing that that record could stand for a really long time is really special. When I go back there a couple years down the road, if it doesn't get broken, I'll be proud of doing that."

Walkinshaw also liked the fact that she was able to set the record against a hometown rival, adding that whenever Canisius' fans walk into their pool, they will see a UB swimmer holds the record for the 500 freestyle.

"To put your name on another school's record board is really cool, because people are going to see UB broke that record," Walkinshaw said.

Walkinshaw has many aquatic accomplishments. However, there are still a few to go. There is the MAC championship that she would like to bring home to UB, and then there are the 2008 Olympic trials, which she has said will be her last competitive meet.

So no, Walkinshaw does not walk on water. It's more like a glide.