German swimmer Hummel stays afloat at CSUB
By TINA KWON
Staff Writer
Armin Hummel is quick both in and out of the water. Now one of CSUB’s fastest swimmers, Hummel made a snap decision to apply to CSUB after a short visit to the university’s web site.
Hummel was surfing the ‘net in Freiburg, Germany, a city of approximately 200,000, located near Switzerland and France. He was impressed with what he saw and contacted CSUB.
A few telephone conversations later with CSUB Head Coach Bob Steele, he found himself with the opportunity to attend college and swim at the same time in California.
“In Germany, it’s not easy to come by university and swimming,” said Hummel. He explained that he feels very lucky to have both and said swimming is the main reason for being here.
“It was a great find. We didn’t have to go out and recruit him, he found us first and we’re absolutely thrilled to have him,” said Assistant Coach Ev Steele.
Only five months after meeting his teammates, the 20-year-old is described by teammates as a brother. He had no problems assimilating into the team and it was an advantage for him that there wasn’t a language barrier.
Everyone on the team was impressed by his “excellent English” and they particularly enjoy the German accent, said Volunteer Assistant David Graves. Hummel has even taught them a phrase or two in German.
“He’s great. He’s my like my little brother on the team,” said Jeff Rose, 21, junior Communications major.
There is a friendly atmosphere in Hummel’s relationships with his teammates that induces them to exchange everything from German chocolate to American fashion tips.
“When we first saw him, we had to take him shopping. He looked very nice, very properly dressed. So, we had to kind of dress him down,” said Rose.
The “rookie” confessed that the first couple of weeks were difficult. Not having friends to call up whenever he wanted to like at home was one thing to get used to. But, according to Hummel, the team wasted no time breaking him in to his new home.
“They made this ‘shark attack’ on me. Every rookie on the team gets his suit ripped off,” said Hummel. “But I had two suits on and they only got one so it wasn’t too embarrassing. Everybody was telling me, ‘Hey, happy birthday,’ and I didn’t know what was going on!”
Aside from the jokes, Hummel is described by teammates as a focused and motivational team member. And what he appreciates most about the team is the motivation he receives from them in return.
Hummel has a very positive view of his new surroundings in Bakersfield and says he has only a few minor complaints about this new experience. Aside from not having a car, Hummel gave a definite “thumbs-down” to the television programming in America.
“You have a lot of channels here but all you see are commercials and talk shows and game shows, nothing interesting,” he said. “And you can’t do anything here if you don’t have a car!”
Hummel, though, isn’t too affected by the cultural shock, and in fact was impressed and surprised to hear a familiar song on the radio by a German punk band.
Homesickness hasn’t set in for the young athlete, largely because swimming takes up most of his time and focus.
“The most important thing, I think, is that I have great guys to train with,” he said. “Everybody motivates each other and that’s what so great about being part of the team.”
He said he particularly likes the fact that he could train outdoors rather than indoors because of the warmer weather here.
“I think it’s nice. I mean, it’s February and we could train outdoors and it isn’t snowing like it would be in Germany,” said Hummel, who has been here since September.
“It’s a total new world for me, coming from Europe. I don’t have the comparison between here and L.A. or other cities, but there’s nothing that I don’t like about Bakersfield,” explained Hummel.
What Hummel misses most about Germany, though, is the food. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for him to get used to McDonald’s and Subway.
“I was used to having pasta before a [swim] meet, and here, during lunch, everybody goes to fast-food,” admitted Hummel. “It was just different, but it’s not hard to get used to the food here.”
Other teammates pointed out that it was “fun” watching Hummel adjusting to American customs but Hummel and teammates agree that his adjustment has been smooth for the most part.
“He’s done a far better job than I would have done if, say, I had gone to Germany,” said senior Joe Loftus, 22, team captain and Child Development major. “Armin is good-natured, very spirited and very competitive. I think he’s a great guy and a hard worker.”
Adjustment has been a buzzword for the young German in recent years, however.
He had just completed 10 months with the army in Germany before starting his college career, which included two months in basic training there and specializing in swimming for the other eight.
“All I had to do for the rest of the time was swim, so it was like special treatment,” said Hummel.
As a freshman, Hummel is currently deciding upon a major and enrolled in 12 units of general education courses. Although he is unsure about career plans and the future, the one thing he is absolutely sure about is that he came here to swim.
Swimming is the number one priority for Hummel, who has been swimming since he was 10. He emphasized that the sport has become more and more serious for him in recent years. For now, he is looking forward to leaving for the NCAA Division II National Championships in Buffalo, NY on March 6.
“Swimming is serious business,” said Hummel, who hopes to compete in the Olympics sometime in the future.
“I’m always thinking what can I do faster and better,” Hummel said. “And I want to make it my own way.”
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Wednesday, March 3, 1999
1:09 PM