Olympic gold medal swimmer Rebecca Soni transitions to life outside the pool
Challenges are nothing new for Rebecca Soni. The six-time Olympic medal-winning swimmer has overcome health issues and competition against the best swimmers in the world, yet new ventures after her retirement have the competitor equally determined and excited as she was during her career.
After Soni officially retired from the sport in January 2014, the Redondo Beach resident faced the challenge of transitioning from the routine of a world-class athlete to one outside the pool.
Soni, who will turn 29 next week, did a lot of soul searching and self discovery. Swimming was such a big part of her life since she began at the age of 10.
When Soni was 16, she began experiencing an irregular, rapid heartbeat during training, often beating more than 300 times a minute. Eventually, doctors inserted electrical energy through a catheter to eliminate extraneous tissue in her heart.
Soni overcame the setback to win six national championships at USC. She claimed a gold and world record in the 200m breast at the 2008 Olympic Games where she also won two silver medals in the 100m breast and the 400m medley relay.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Soni won gold in the 400m medley relay and 200m breast, becoming the first female swimmer to break the 2:20 mark. She also won silver in the 100m breast.
Soni has used her success as an athlete to help others and give back to the community. She was among a group of Olympians and pro athletes called Hope Sports that built a house for a family in Mexico. She is also a global advocate for the “Girl Up” campaign, which engages adolescent girls to stand up for girls everywhere and empower each other.
On Sunday, March 13, Soni will serve as Official Race Starter and Honorary Host for the 13th annual Village Runner St. Patrick’s Day 5K in Redondo Beach’s Riviera Village.
“Rebecca is very gracious and down to earth,” Race Director Mike Ward said. “She has done great things in her life and we’re proud to have her involved with the event.”
“It’s pretty cool to be asked to be the official race starter,” Soni said. “Community is very important to me and, after living in Manhattan Beach for five years, getting to know the city and people of Redondo Beach is exciting for me. The area offers so much in terms of fitness and fun that it’s easy to celebrate life every day.”
Soni will also join runners and walkers in the 5K race.
“You could call me a ‘Fish out of water,’” Soni joked. “While working with a physical therapist for a leg injury, I’ve been learning how to walk and run correctly.”
The event begins Saturday with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo with the race starting Sunday at 8 a.m. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
Following the 5K, young runners will compete in the Chase Stecyk Leprechaun Dash for Gold. Honoring the memory of Chase Stecyk, who grew up in Redondo Beach and was just 11 years old when he died of a tumor that had paralyzed him from the waist down. Proceeds from the race will go to charities in addition to supporting local high school cross country and track teams.
After her retirement from professional swimming, Soni wanted to stay connected with the sport and the next generation of athletes. Like many elite athletes, she became involved with clinics and lessons.
“I love working with kids but I discovered I didn’t know how to teach swimming,” Soni said. “But I knew I had much more to offer.”
It was during this time that Soni began to delve into the many aspects of sport: taking courses in psychology and learning about breathing, body positioning and mindfulness.
She also took nutrition classes which has helped her become a fitness and nutrition buff promoting health and wellness activities.
Finding ways to remain fit while not burning thousands of calories during hours of intense training in the pool became a passion for Soni.
“I really got interested in nutrition,” Soni said. “I began cooking more and wanted to see how my body reacted to different foods. It was hard to break the habits I had as a competitive swimmer so it’s been a fun journey mixing things up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I really love the vegan lifestyle. I’m very passionate about learning more and regret not trying it earlier during my career to see how beneficial it would have been.”
Soni suffered a back injury after the Olympics and hadn’t swum again until about six months ago when she began swimming in the ocean. Her boyfriend Bryan Mineo, a swim instructor and owner of The Swim Mechanic, sparked Soni’s interest in open water swimming.
“We swim together in the ocean every week,” Mineo said. “It’s our quiet time together, something that we now share a great passion for. I speak for both of us when I say that our time in the ocean is less about swimming, but more about the experience and freedom of connecting with the water.”
Soni also found new activities to remain physically fit.
“I’ve been doing yoga for a long time and have done Pilates, trying new things to take the place of swimming,” said Soni, an admitted travel junkie. “I enjoy the intimate alone time of working out, discovering how your body works and reacts to different activities. I like less structured physical activity and more adventure while setting goals for myself – whether it’s racing to a lifeguard tower or climbing a hill.”
Soni’s latest endeavor is RISE Elite, a program she started as a way to give back to younger athletes by passing on the knowledge she has accrued and the theory she has used as an Olympic gold medalist and advocate of a well-balanced approach to athletics and life.
“The program deals with the mental side of sports,” Soni explained. “I was looking back, seeing things that made me an Olympic medalist, and how I harvested the tools I built in swimming to use in the rest of my life. It teaches young athletes how to build mental skills and learn than there is more than just winning but utilizing the tools within one’s self which builds confidence.”
Mineo believes the program allows Soni to help countless numbers of athletes.
“Reb has found a way to teach the laser focus she developed while swimming, providing people the tools to access their highest potential,” Mineo said. “This is applicable for anyone in any field or phase of their life.”
RISE Elite has also provided Soni the opportunity to work with Caroline Burckle, an Olympic teammate of Soni’s who won bronze in 2008. Burckle was graduating from University of Tennessee with a Master of Science in Sports Psychology and Motor Behavior when approached by Soni.
“Rebecca told me what she had going and asked me if I wanted to start mentoring a few athletes that approached her, and I willingly said yes,” Burckle said. “From simply mentoring a few to becoming a part-business owner of RISE Elite, I have been beyond blessed to work with someone as understanding and driven as Rebecca. I am super pumped for what the future holds. We complement each other very well with our individual strengths, so it will be a fun and creative ride.”
Soni and Burckle feel their experience and knowledge regarding the impact of self-improvement through a mindful approach will benefit kids just beginning their careers to elite level athlete and Olympians.
“Reb is so passionate about her work, and is one of the most humble athletes I have ever come in contact with,” Burckle said. “She exudes a sense of approachability and ease, which makes her a fantastic mentor to youth athletes because they trust her. She creates a safe space in which they can share all facets of their lives and be totally open and vulnerable. The athletes can read that she is a non-judgmental, open and genuine person. That makes all the difference and she truly makes each one feel special in his or her own way.”
Soni has discovered how powerful the mind can be and, as an elite athlete, was surprised that the information she has gained through her own research she was learning for the first time.
“The things I learned are game changers, making the difference between good and great,” Soni said. “I wish I had a program like RISE Elite when I was younger. I worked hard for 15 years and such a program would have helped shorten the time to reach my goals.”
Soni compares the daily quest for self-improvement to the journey of athletic success.
“I live RISE, balancing life while making the most out of every day,” Soni said. “Even on a day that might seem uneventful, I look back and find something that can better my life and others.”
To learn more about Soni and RISE Elite, visit rebeccasoni.com.
