Senior Alan Duski is no stranger to the sport of swimming. He has been swimming for 15 years, since he got his start in middle school.
“I just generally enjoy swimming and practicing,” Duski said. “It feels good after exercising for a few hours and being broken down.”
Duski is a product of Croatia, and in his senior year of high school he won the 50 backstroke at the National High School Championship in Croatia.
During his freshman year at Eastern, Duski consistently finished in the top-5 in the 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly and the 400-medley relay.
In his junior year, Duski placed first in the 200 backstroke during a meet against Ball State, completing the race with a time of 1:58.04.
“My favorite part about swimming is weight lifting, racing and tapering, which is reducing exercise before and important competition,” Duski said.
Another aspect of swimming Duski also enjoys is the coaches and his teammates. He chose to study at EMU because of the swimming program, the great coaches and the fast swimmers.
“The swim team is like a big family, we spend quality time together and have fun like when we go to Florida for the training trip,” Duski said.
Duski enjoys being around his teammates and they find pleasure in hanging around him as well.
“Alan is constantly making people laugh and will lighten up the atmosphere,” Michael Kinross said. “His renditions of ‘Uptown Girl’ by Billy Joel is classic.”
Duski not only brings out his spunky personality when he is with his team, but also brings his talent to every meet and works hard to accomplish swimming goals.
“As far as swimming goes, he brings a lot of experience. He is a senior and has been through the grind before and knows what to expect,” Kinross said.
“He is also a great weight room partner and he prides himself on being ‘Oh, oh, I’m a body builder, maybe’.”
Duski has improved his game since he has arrived at EMU, dropping his times, especially in the backstroke. Duski has improved his swimming techniques and is now able to focus on the little things, which could have a significant impact at the end of the season.
Not only is Duski an excellent swimmer, but he also is a person of many talents and interests.
“I enjoy cooking tasty meals, especially Croatian dishes,” Duski said.
“I also collect Pokémon cards, play FIFA games on Xbox, gipsy hunt, play the jazz flute and cut hair.”
When it comes to sweets, Duski has a soft spot for candy and any other kind of sweet treat he happens to come across.
For Duski, swimming is about uniting as a team and achieving his swimming goals. He will forever swim by the motto “One Team, One Dream.”
