In the cold waters of Northern Europe, swimming is survival of the fittest, with swimmers competing only for themselves.
For Marist sophomore swimmers Oscar Bjering of Sweden and Adam Zaremba of Poland, the transition to a new country and the shift to a collegiate, team-oriented swimming style has had its triumphs and challenges.
As freshmen, Bjering and Zaremba made an instant impact, helping guide the team to the 2024 MAAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship. Both are distance freestyle swimmers, arguably the most difficult style of swimming.
Bjering, who hails from Halmstad, Sweden, and Zaremba, who hails from Wrocław, Poland, started swimming at six years old and were heavily influenced by their older brothers.
“I just started swimming because my brother used to swim, and I just wanted to be like him at the time. I mean, I still want to be like him. It looked cool, and I guess it was the right decision,” said Bjering.
“I started out at six years too, and also because my brother was already swimming. I played hockey for a year, but I just thought swimming was more fun, and I was better at it, so I just kept swimming,” said Zaremba.
The lack of collegiate sports organizations in Europe, such as the NCAA, makes the transition from European swimming to collegiate swimming unique. A significant change is that collegiate sports feature teams of swimmers, a system not present back home for these international athletes.
“In Southeast Sweden, it’s very different because it’s not a team sport,” said Bjering. “You just swim for individual placement. Coming here, being part of a team and winning a team championship is a lot different. A lot more fun.”
Being a part of a swim team has elevated Bjering and Zaremba’s swimming experience, from the competitive nature of the environment to the community that team sports bring.
“In my club team back home, it’s me and three other guys, so it’s hard to even get a relay together. Here, you compete for a relay spot,” said Zaremba. “People can motivate you if you’re down, I didn’t have that in Poland. Now I have twenty people I can race with.”
However, not all the elements of the transition are easy. The responsibility of being NCAA athletes along with the different swimming metrics results in adjustments these swimmers must make quickly or risk suffering consequences.
“A lot [of the challenge] is being held accountable to always show up to practice,” said Bjering. “If I don’t want to practice at home, I don’t have a coach that will take me out of meets because I didn’t want to go one day.”
“I used to only swim long courses at home, so I had to get used to short courses,” said Zaremba. “I was missing a lot of practices in Poland, and I didn’t feel accountable for it. Now if I miss practice, I’m going to get in trouble.”
Swimming in America has also offered these swimmers opportunities to face more intense competition.
“We were at the top of our countries in Europe, and we’re not even close here. I knew what to expect from here because I saw the times, but I still get surprised when I see some of the people swim and how fast they are,” said Zaremba.
Being surrounded by swimmers who can frequently challenge one another has improved their development.
“I was struggling a bit in my club team because I would lead every practice. I wouldn’t have anyone to race with, so I was almost plateauing,” said Zaremba. “I can really push myself hard here, having people who swim at the same pace, it’s better for a practice environment.”
For Zaremba and Bjering, their future in swimming after their collegiate career wraps up is shrouded in uncertainty, as the transition from college to professional swimming is a steep incline that not many people can reach.
“It’s hard to pursue a career in swimming after college. It does not pay anything compared to bigger sports like basketball or football,” said Bjering. “You have to be the fastest of the fastest to get paid actual money. There is no league paying you, no yearly contract. You have to get your own sponsors.”
Bringing recruits from overseas is important for a collegiate swimming program’s success. For Marist head coach Anthony Randall, the international recruitment process is streamlined. Companies from the swimmer’s home country reach out to Randall and tell him when they have swimmers who are interested in studying in the United States. The company provides their swimming times, and then Randall seeks to identify if they can compete in the MAAC based on their speed and technique.
“We start with their times, which would then allow them to be awarded with athletic aid. That’s the first step,” said Randall. “Then, once you get further along with certain countries, you get to know the program. Then you know that this program is really good at this type of distance, or this certain stroke.”
However, showing off Marist’s campus to the recruits is a different story. Since there are no recruitment visits, Randall resorts to Zoom calls to give tours of the facility.
“I walked around McCann a bit with my laptop awkwardly—like ‘Here’s the pool,’” said Randall. “You show them pictures and provide as great detail as you can about what you have to offer without them coming to campus.”
It’s been a year since Bjering and Zaremba joined the team, and Randall sees a lot to come for both of them, praising their mental attributes.
“We’re still scratching the surface on both of them. The potential they have is through the roof,” said Randall. “International students bring their own sense of maturity. There’s more independence there, which is great.”
As they continue to push themselves in and out of the pool, Bjering and Zaremba are determined to make the most of their collegiate careers by overcoming one challenge at a time.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Graphic by Gavin Hard; Photos from Marist Athletics
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