PHOTO COURTESY OF UTRGV ATHLETICS
Manou Meulebeek is a junior diver from Uden, Netherlands. Earlier this year in August, she represented the Netherlands at the European Aquatics Championships held in Paris, France. Meulebeek came in 17th against 30 other divers, finishing with a total of 213.35 points.
Q: What got you started on swimming and diving?
A: “It started with my brother. He saw the Olympics on TV, so he wanted to start doing that when he was younger, and I was very young. I was a little sister and I had to come to the practices with him. So, once I was of age to start doing a sport myself, I decided I want to start diving too. And then my parents tried to get me in another sport, but I was like, set on diving.”
Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired to keep getting better at diving?
A: “I think it’s never perfect. There’s always room for improvement, so there’s always little things you can work on, little details and the competitions are such a nice experience and you get the chance to travel around the world with them. So, that just keeps me motivated to really work hard and be able to qualify for work competitions.”
Q: What is your usual pre-game day meal?
A: “Sometimes I make croissants, I make fresh croissants in the oven, and the other day I just eat Greek yogurt with some fruit and it depends. Delicious.”
Q: Do you have a favorite professional swimmer?
A: “Yes. It’s an Italian diver named Chiara Pellacani … She’s really good. I love her.”
Q: Who is your biggest supporter and what do they mean to you?
A: “I think my biggest supporters are my parents. They helped me with everything. Every competition I go, they’re so proud. They always send messages after every competition, before every competition. Even now that they are across the world. Basically, they still always make sure to follow everything, and to send messages. So, yeah they mean a lot to me.”
Q: What are you looking forward to this upcoming season?
A: “I think just experience. I’m really hoping to dive consistently this season and to get a lot of good competitions for the team, for the school and to get a lot of trophies, maybe.”
Q: Swimming isn’t just about being in the water. It’s conditioning. It’s a lot of work. I wanted to ask you, what are you listening to whenever you are conditioning?
A: “So, I listen to hardstyle music. It’s very uptempo, very upbeat and it keeps me motivated.”
Q: I saw you’re from the Netherlands. Is swimming and diving a big sport there?
A: “Swimming is very big, but diving and that is not so big. It’s very small.”
Q: What was your favorite thing about the Netherlands?
A: “I think I’ll say the food. The quality of food is just very good compared to here. And then when I’m here, I really miss, like, the food and, oh, the public transport. I think that’s my favorite because I can just go everywhere with a bus or with the trainer, with the tram, like everywhere. I miss that so much when I’m here. Like the freedom there.”
Q: Do you have any hobbies or special talents?
A: “One is reading. I love reading English books, and my other one is traveling. I love traveling the world, I’ve been to a couple places and, after I graduate, I really want to see more.
Q: What specifically did you want to see after graduating?
A: “I want to see a little bit more of Latin America. I just went to Brazil last December and I absolutely loved it. So, I already know I’m going to go back there very soon, and I think I want to explore Asia.”
Q: If you weren’t diving, what would you be doing?
A: “I do think I would do sports because I just love being active. So, if it wasn’t diving, I think it might have been track and field and then sprinting.”
— Compiled by Tiana Meza
