Ryan Lochte, Make-A-Wish give 15-year-old unforgettable day
posted October 17, 2014 by Team Lochte
CHARLOTTE, NC — Some people find relaxation in a warm, soaking bath. For 15-year-old Erik Nieman, an avid swimmer, home is a cold pool.
“You can walk around people, and not show any emotions and stuff, but in the water, you can scream, rage and all that other stuff and it doesn’t really matter because no one can hear you,” Nieman told Sporting News. “It was a way to release emotions and it’s just fun because it’s relaxing.”
And there are plenty of emotions for Erik to release. He’s been fighting cystic fibrosis for years. It’s a condition he was born with, as was his younger brother, 12-year-old Ryan.
Erik’s battle with cystic fibrosis meant he was eligible for a special request from Make-A-Wish, so when the time came for his choice, it “took him all of about three seconds” to announce what he wanted to do, according to his mother, Holly.
He wanted to train with 11-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte and his coach, David Marsh.

The Nieman family realized that wish on Oct. 14 when they traveled to Charlotte for a once-in-a-lifetime experience with Lochte, Marsh and members of the renowned SwimMAC team.
“I didn’t realize the wish I asked for was actually happening until as soon as I got here, and then I realized this is actually real and I’m not dreaming,” Erik said.
The enormity of a Erik’s desire to train in Charlotte with an elite swimming program, over all the other things Make-A-Wish can provide, wasn’t lost on Lochte.
“He could’ve gone to Fiji, could’ve gone anywhere, but he chose to come here to Charlotte to meet me, and I just want him to have a good time,” Lochte told Sporting News, before the coaching session began. “He’s full of energy and we’re going to have fun and we’re going to do what he always wanted to do: swim.”

Why train with Lochte, given all the choices afforded by Make-A-Wish?
For Erik, his strong suit is the backstroke and IM, the sweet spot for Lochte, too. But the choice went beyond swimming.
From an early age, when he expressed an interest in Eric Liddell and “Chariots of Fire,” Erik was interested in more than just the athletic accomplishments of an athlete. That translated to Lochte, too.

Make-A-Wish (Chris Littmann/SN)
“He’s just a really good person, and so Erik said ‘If I can meet anybody, I want to meet somebody who can teach me in the strokes I’m good at, who has good character and is a good person,’ ” Holly said.

Despite his son’s remarkable level of maturity, Erik’s father, Larry, said he hoped swimming would provide his son extra motivation to push through the day-to-day battles.
“Every once in a while, he needs a little bit of push,” Larry Nieman said. “His options are limited, just from where we live, so this shows him that it’s not over.
“There are lots of things that he can do and hopefully give him a little bit of encouragement.”
Hours in the water, literally swimming side-by-side with Lochte — sometimes even in the same lane — left Erik with more than just a little motivation.
Erik got first-hand training from one of the sport’s biggest stars, not to mention a revered coach. They broke down his form, working on the way his wrists enter the water or the way he points his feet. They worked on his underwater form, a strength of Lochte’s, the pair often pausing to look at the video screen in the Queen’s University aquatic center to break down the finer points from an underwater view showing footage of Lochte.
And after enough drilling, Erik and Lochte even raced from the blocks.
“I figured he was going to beat me,” Erik said. “But I wanted him to race me to his max.”
Lochte beat Erik in their IM race by 10 seconds, but Marsh disqualified him for an illegal turn. Winner: Erik Nieman.
In such an unforgettable day — beating an Olympian, training with a legendary coach and meeting an idol — what stuck out the most?
“Being able to meet the entire team and train and practice with them,” Erik said. “Hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to reach this level and I’ll be able to look back and help somebody else.”

贴一些活动图片

新闻大致意思是说，15岁的男孩Erik是一个游泳选手，但他在和囊性纤维病做斗争。他参加了一个叫“Make A Wish” 的慈善项目，10月14号专门去夏洛特拜访了Ryan Lochte和Marsh教练。他和罗罗一起训练了一天，还进行了一场比赛，结果竟然是Erik赢了。
Erik选择跟罗罗训练的原因是：罗罗不仅可以指导他游泳，还是一个性格很好的人。他还很崇拜Marsh教练。他觉得这是很不可思议的一天，还希望将来能达到罗罗这样的水平，去帮助更多的人。

罗仔真好，谁都喜欢他