Get to Know Auburn Swimmer Joe Patching

Get to Know Auburn Swimmer Joe Patching

• Where are you from?
  • “I was born in a town called Ascot, England which is about an hour out west of London in England”
• What was the transition from moving to another country like for you?
  • “It was actually relatively easy, I went to a boarding school since I was 12 so I was used to being away from home and my family and kind of when I was there I got a lot of experience staying in my boarding house so the transition to America was slightly easier than most people would imagine it to be.”
• What are some of the differences between competing in England and the US?
  • “In general, great optimism that America has particularly in college sports, great sporting colleges in America which definitely is great to be a part of, also that great team atmosphere that you wouldn’t find in an English University that I came and found at Auburn it’s great to be a part of the Auburn family. That team atmosphere that drives me every day and little differences like the food and the atmosphere”
• Do you like the food better here?
  • “Yes, I do like particular things, I’ve tried like barbecue, barbecue’s very good, some of the hospitality is also very nice everyone in the South is very friendly and I have appreciated the welcome here that I got and kind of adapting as well I find myself in a balance of when I didn’t do that back home.”
• Why did you get involved in swimming?
  • “I started at a young age my parents just took me to swim when I was a young boy I kind of just progressed through the steps that anyone would I kind of went from learning to swim to club swimming. Then around 9 or 10 I was pretty good, started competing at an early age and just kind of just developed around there."
• When did you start swimming?
  • "I probably jumped in the water when I was 1 or 2, and then you know probably when I made the decision to start swimming competitively, it was probably around age 12 when I went to boarding school called Plymouth College which has a dedicated swimming program.”
• Hey if you're swimming at Auburn you must have had some high school accomplishments, could you share some with me?
  • “My senior year I won a European Junior Championship in the 200 meter backstroke in Antwerp, Belgium, that’s kind of the highest accomplishment you can get in junior swimming in Europe the top 18 and under year olds in Europe (were) in that event. I think that kind of put me on the radar, and then I reached out to Auburn and we got talking (and) one thing led to the other, just made a great connection with Auburn all the team here and the coaches.”
• What is your favorite part of being a student athlete here at Auburn University? (6:00)
  • “The support you get, just being a part of that family knowing that if you are stuck in any type of struggle or trouble there’s literally a 100 people you can reach out to, and just being a part of that great supported network that can really make anything possible that you need to basically develop into the person you want to be, just again as a person academically and then also in sports just having all those 3 things making you the best person you can be coming out of your degree and your time at Auburn.”
• What’s you major here at Auburn?
  • "Finance"
• What would you say is your favorite stroke?
  • “My favorite stroke is probably the IM, my best stroke is probably back stroke, but I do enjoy doing the Individual Medley and doing all the strokes and mix it up a bit.”
• Any meets you are looking forward to this year?
  • “Well obviously with this being an Olympic year, I’m most looking forward to the Olympic trials and having the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics in Rio, Brazil next year. And then also my college meets, I’m looking forward to SECs it think we have a great opportunity to compete there, I know as a team we were slightly disappointed in our result last year that being one of the worst team results that Auburn has had in a while. I truly believe we have an opportunity to win this year all things coming into place and we have a great freshman class they are looking really good in practice if they can develop and compete at SECs I definitely think we have a chance at winning out this year.”
• Could share with me about any incoming freshman we should be watching out for?
  • “We have loads coming in, we have: Liam McCloskey he’s a great butter flyer, he came in 3^rd (in the 100 butterfly) which was his first dual meet in Indiana. I just know that he was really excited after that swim, Tommy Brewer has been developing and training a lot, he came from a small program in Oregon…every day in practice he’s getting better and better but it’s fun to see him, we got Sam Stuart he’s a great long course background and just trying to adjust him to short course and once we get that adjustment for him he’ll do manage in the pool, sprinters kind of like Zack Apple and Grady Ottomeyer, they’re just really developing strong sprinters which is (something) Auburn is known for producing, in the next couple of years they are going to be stars as well, there’s a lot more in that class they are all coming through really strong.”
• What are your expectations/goals for yourself and the team this year?
  • “My expectations (are) definitely to reproduce my results for the team from last year at SECs, try to get on the podium in all 3 of my events and definitely coming away with my first SEC Championship for the team, but also individually I want to win gold in at least one of my events and then heading into NCAAs again, getting on the country podium and as a team make the top 5, its just getting there, very high standards and then obviously on the back end of that, in April I get to do the Olympic trials and I’m pretty positive with the training that I’m doing right now I have a great shot to get myself the opportunity to make the Olympic team for the British.”
• Congrats on being named SEC swimmer of the week following this meet and winning 3 individual events. What does it mean to you to be named the SEC swimmer of the week?
  • “Just every dual meet I try to give my best. It’s just working hard in practice and I think that translates into kind of fashion of (the) season in season it’s great to just be able to give back to my team and get those points on the board, the energy that you get from a win in a dual meet and really using that momentum for other people to try to win those events, and just getting the SEC swimmer of the week on top of that is just a bonus, it’s not something I look to get, but when I do I just know that that’s contributing to my team, and it’s really honorable for me.”
• Do you like how SEC network is making swimming a more broadcasted sport?
  • "Yes, I really enjoy that actually, some of my friends have been watching it if they haven’t been able to make it to the meet live. I know my parents are able to watch the SEC network back home and watch the SEC Network which is great for them to have high quality and professional broadcasting of my events and I’m sure every family of a swimmer in the SEC or of any sport, kind of more low profile sports, love having the opportunity to watch their son or daughter or family compete on a network such high quality, and again like the more exposure our sports get the more coverage we get, the more momentum that is brought into those meets is great.”