20 Question Tuesday...

WITH BRENDAN HANSEN! WOOT!

He was winning medals left and right at the Olympics and was nothing but golden in Indianapolis at Short-Course World Championships. University of Texas product Brendan Hansen was travel weary from racking up holiday miles, but took time to talk about the Olympics. Hansen talks about his special Christmas gift, his meaningful New Year's Eve plays, the "Texas Boys" (himself, Aaron Peirsol and Ian Crocker - all world record holders and the new website he's building which includes his own photo work, www.brendanhansenonline.com in this week's 20 Question Tuesday with special correspondent Bob Schaller.

1 What did you get for Christmas?

Brendan: I got a digital camera - I'm excited about it! Now everyplace I go I can send pictures back to my family, remembering these times because I know they won't last forever. I also have a website I'm doing a lot of work on, www.brendanhansenonline.com. People can see photos that I've taken.

2 What's the best gift you gave for Christmas this year?

Brendan: Hmmmm (pause), oh, I know: I gave my parents a gas fireplace for Christmas. It's a great gift because our family home gets really drafty. I just bought a place in Texas for Christmas and I had two, so giving them one (laughs) balances things out a little!

3 What's your favorite holiday memory?

Brendan: This is pretty funny - there was this one Thanksgiving where my Mom forgot to put sugar in the pumpkin pie. Being the good kids that we were, we just forced it (laughs) down and didn't say anything because she worked so hard on the meal and we love her so much! The next year when Mom was making pumpkin pie we (kids) were like, "Hey Mom, does that have sugar?"

4 What are you doing for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?

Brendan: I'm actually staying here in town (Austin, Texas) and I'm going to the hospital on New Year's Eve to visit some kids who have leukemia. After that I will go hang out with my family. It's my first time being able to hang out with my family around New Year's - that's something I missed doing in college because of swimming, but now that I'm a professional, I get to spend more time with them on special occasions, so this will be nice.

5 Backtrack for a second - you said you are visiting kids in the hospital - how did that start?

Brendan: I don't know how it started to be honest. One day I went to the hospital here in Austin, to see their faces, and once you do that, you will never forget them. Now, with the Olympics and some of the things I've done, I've built a little platform where maybe I can help these kids - affect them in a positive way. But it's not a promotional deal or a media opportunity so I won't make it a public event. Let me just say this: You can't look into these kids' eyes without wanting to do something for them. They are very special and doing this means a lot to me.

6 Looking back at the Olympics, you must be pleased with your medal haul, but do the silver and bronze motivate you to go for gold in '08?

Brendan: Absolutely! It would be tough for me if I had won three golds to come back again in 2008. That's the final goal (all Olympic gold). This time, the goal was to make sure I made the Olympic team in my events - not let what happened in 2000 happen in 2004. This time I made it and medaled in every event, which is great, but with what happened in Athens (not getting individual gold) I'm even more motivated to leave my mark in the sport. I want people to be able to look back and say, "Hey, this guy dominated the breaststroke for a long time." So that is motivating me for the next four years.

7 How was your Olympic experience overall?

Brendan: It was great! It's one of those things I will never forget. To do it with six guys from my team at Texas - and with the class of those guys...that's what I will never forget - to swim with the guys that I did, is what means so much, not just the medals we brought home, but that we really were so close as a team.

8 People say that a lot about teams - "We were close" - whether it's true or not. Scott Usher, your Olympic and breaststroke teammate said you helped him out a lot. So there really was a special bond on the men's team this year, wasn't there?

Brendan: It was one of those things where everyone asks me or thinks that when you get that caliber of athletes together that others might not help out. But the truth was we were helping each other - everyone on that team - from the first training camp in Stanford and onto Spain and into Athens. We were helping each other every day - everyone had something they did well, that they could offer suggestions or help to someone else on. In fact, that's probably what won the 800 relay for us, having worked with each other to make us the best possible - and that's why we medalled in every event, except the one freestyle.

9 What's it like to be the world record holder in both breaststroke events?

Brendan: To this day - when I talk to kids and I'm introduced as the world record holder - it still doesn't sink in for me. And I know it should (laughs) because it's six or seven months after the Olympics now! I just remember that when you are on top it is easier to fall back then to stay atop the mountain and even make more progress. I know now that if I do a personal best, it will be a world record, and that's encouraging, but also a challenge.

10 But those world record swims - and to have set world records in both breaststroke events - don't you look back on those as amazing swims?

Brendan: When I (set the world records) in both events people might think since they were world records they were prefect swims - "You went so fast and never slowed down" - but that's not true, because I went long into my turns...in fact, I can break it down to where I think I swam badly! So knowing that I have work to do to improve makes me stronger and motivates me. If I have the world record when I retire, sure, that would be great. But right now I don't think about being the world record holder because if I do that it makes me weaker and before you know it, someone snaps those records.

11 Indy - the short course World Championships - was phenomenal, and you dominated. How'd you do in relation to your goals?

Brendan: I was just coming off the Olympics and had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder from how I finished in Athens in the breaststrokes. So for Indianapolis, I tried to maintain my level of focus and wanted to keep swimming. I'm the kind of swimmer who feeds off the crowd, so to swim in Indianapolis in front of 10,000 or 11,0000 people each night...of course I will swim as good as I possibly can! The fans made that meet what it was. The timing, being what it was (so close to the Olympics) made it so we needed something special, and the fans were it - they made it amazing.

I can't even describe how great the fans were - I didn't feel like a swimmer! I felt like a baseball player or football player or rock star! I'd get out of the pool and have people everywhere asking for autographs. The whole thing was so cool, to have people recognize us for how hard we've worked and what we've done. It was well deserved for every swimmer there. But I'd like to point out the fans were great to everyone - cheering for all swimmers, not just the ones from our country, which showed a lot of class.

12 How does life change for you now, being a professional after four great years as a student-athlete for the University of Texas?

Brendan: I think I'll continue to train with the team and at Texas, but coming off the Olympics, people recognize me now - recognition I never had to this degree before. But if you saw the group I hang out with, which includes Ian and Aaron - and my family - it's not hard for me to stay grounded (laughs) and actually, it's easy. So I won't change much. I won't swim the dual meets obviously (that college teams do) but I will be the same vocal leader I've always been.

13 What is swimming for Eddie Reese like - seems like he's pretty intense and serious most of the time - but there's a different side to Eddie, isn't there?

Brendan: Yes, there sure is. He was a father figure to me in college when I went to school here in 2000 - I'm very family oriented, so that was important for me to have that kind of relationship with my coach. We respect him, and he respects us, which is the best relationship to have as a swimmer with your coach. He works hard as you can tell because he had us ready for the Games. Outside the pool he is a good friend to you, and inside the pool he wants what's best for you - you could not ask for more in a coach.

14 What will you do with your time outside of the pool now that you are a professional swimmer and not a college swimmer?

Brendan: I'm continuing to go to school while I try to fit in as many clinics and speeches as I can. I want to be there for the kids. I want them to realize I'm just a regular person who made a decision to make a difference and do the best I could. I think it's especially important to all three of us (Ian and Aaron) to find a way to give back to the kids. And when you see a kid's face light up, it is so inspiring and special.

14 Your event, the breaststroke, is arguably the most difficult stroke to master - what's a piece of advice you'd give someone who is just starting that event, who wants to get better in the breaststroke?

Brendan: Kick, kick, kick! You have to learn how to kick before you learn anything else. The first thing to go in the breaststroke is your legs. So if you work on your kick, you will see phenomenal improvement in your stroke.

15 You've been on some amazing relays at the Olympics, and then more recently at short course worlds - what makes a good relay swimmer?

Brendan: Someone who can feed off the other three people, who can realize that working as a team is more important than trying to do it all yourself. When Ian, Aaron, me and Jason (Lezak) do a relay, we look at it as a team effort, "How will we do," not "How fast is my own split going to be?"

16 It seems like the rest of the world is getting a lot better at swimming - a few countries in particular at least - who is a country that is about to reach that upper echelon in the near future that maybe we don't hear a lot about?

Brendan: Japan. Absolutely, Japan. They've been swimming better and better over the years after being not so great for a while, but this time (in Athens) they have world-class swimmers - a breaststroker, backstroker and butterflyer in the finals. So the men's program is getting a lot better.

17 Obviously, you have your sights set down the road on the Beijing Games - do you focus only on yourself or do you fully expect to be at some point looking over your shoulder at some 15-year-old breaststroker who comes out of nowhere in '07, as was the case with Michael Phelps a few years ago in the fly, or Katie Hoff this year in the IM?

Brendan: That always comes up. That's what keeps you motivated, knowing some 15- or 17-year-old will come up in your event. That's always a possibility and you think about that a lot when you are training and it helps you get better. People could say I'm peaking, but I don't think that. I'm hoping to get better. You have to respect that; there are kids who want to beat you and have the same mentality of wanting to get where you are. Every year I look back and think, "Where can I get better?" I don't let age get in the way. People say, "Oh, you are 23, this has to change doesn't it?" No, I want to get better. Eddie changes the program to get us better, and the harder you work the better you will be. Of course the body accepts hard work differently at 23 than it did at 15 or 18, but there are still ways to get better. Age never comes up in that regard. I will continue to swim as long as I have the drive and can get better.

18 What do these young fans mean to you?

Brendan: Man, they are just great. To hear, "What's it like to be so successful?" That's a question that makes you realize how important your "support staff" is - my family, friends, teammates and coaches. This is something I'm going to write about on the website I have, www.brendanhansenonline.com - about what great support can do for you.

19 You seem so comfortable being a role model - what's that all about?

Brendan: I just think there aren't enough good role models in the world today, especially in the world of sports. Ian, Aaron and I talk about this - we want to be there for the kids because there is a lack of role models. It doesn't take a lot of effort to do the right thing. A lot of it has to do with how you are brought up - your values, character - that's part of my message to kids, that your closest role models are, or should be, your parents or brother or sister or someone else close to you.

20 You've mentioned your parents several times - how important has that family support been to your success?

Brendan: It's been a part of all of my successes - a key to success. I can only put in so much, so at some point I will break down, will need that boost, encouragement and support. To have your family there to back you up and offer some guidance, "Why is it you are doing this? What's the goal? What's the big picture?" The thing is, my family has never forced me to swim, they've always made it my choice, and then they've supported me and encouraged me. My family saw that in swimming, I think early on, that I could learn from it about life. That if you want things in life, just like in the water, you have to work hard for it - it'll never be handed for you. You have to go after it.