Trelise Dance competing for Baradene College in swimming. Photo / Supplied
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Seventeen-year-old swimmer Trelise Dance talks to Bonnie Jansen about competing at a national level, making a comeback from spinal surgery and being inspired by a healthy sibling rivalry.
How did you get into swimming?
I was taken to Swimgym for lessons around the age of four. Once I moved up to the highest class, I had to choose between going on to compete or to train noncompetitively. Having my older sister compete in the sport made the decision easy as I saw how much she enjoyed the training and competing.
I compete for United Swimming Club and have been a competitive swimmer since the age of eight. From the age of 12, I successfully gained national medals at national competitions. My first significant swim meet was Aims Games where in my first year I won three gold medals in 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events. The following year, I gained two gold and one silver medal as well a New Zealand age group record in the 50m breaststroke.
Why did you choose breaststroke?
My older sister, Mikayla, was also a breaststroker, and this helped influence my decision – I was determined to strive to match and better her times. I was also naturally good at it.
What's been your biggest challenge?
Having back surgery. At the age of 12, I was diagnosed with scoliosis which is sideways curvature of the spine. At the time, my curve was around 30 degrees and wasn't causing any distress, so I thought to carry on with life and go to regular physio treatment to prevent the curve from growing. However, after seeing a spinal surgeon a year later, the curve had grown to 50 degrees and was causing me a lot of pain and discomfort. This meant going on a wait list for several months for surgery and during this time my curve was growing drastically, and I was finding it difficult to carry my school bag and walk and run without pain.
In January 2019, I had spinal-fusion surgery and at that point my curve had grown to 70 degrees. This had caused damage to the growth on the right-hand side of my back and my rib cage. The operation was successful, and I had two titanium rods inserted either side of my spine with 16 screws to keep these in place. Recovery was very tough, knowing my competitors were getting faster, but I was determined to get back into the pool and start racing again. I still struggle with pain in my back most days, but this doesn't stop me from training and competing in a sport I love.
How did your comeback go?
At the beginning of 2019, I had spinal fusion surgery and was unable to train and compete for six months. By October I was a national champion.
Are you involved with any other sport?
When I was younger, I competed in gymnastics and played netball. As I started to get older, my swim trainings increased, and this meant giving up netball to solely focus on my swimming.
How often do you train and compete? And what's it like for your life balance?
I train eight times a week: four mornings and four afternoons as well as four strength trainings. On average, I would be competing once a month with my long-course nationals being in April and short course nationals in August. Training takes up a lot of my time and makes it difficult to juggle this with school and any social life. However, being disciplined in my swimming has helped me with time management and balancing my schoolwork, gaining excellent results in my studies.
Where do you hope sport will take you?
I hope that swimming will take me to the US where I can study and compete for a swim and dive collegiate program. My sister Mikayla is in her final year of a four-year swimming scholarship at University of Nevada, Reno and I would love to follow in her footsteps. Going to an American university on scholarship is a goal of many athletes as you get to compete at a high level in your sport and have your education supported.
What are your sporting highlights?
With all my years in swimming I have come away with 42 national medals, 11 bronze, 15 silver, and 16 gold.
What are your next steps?
In a few weeks' time I have NZ Short Course Swimming Championships in which I am hoping to do some fast times and personal bests that will hopefully catch the interest of American Universities.