Name: Anna Tommerdahl
UNCW Swimming & Diving Class of 2010
Events: 500, 1000, 1650 free
Degree: BS Marine Biology, BA Math, MS Marine Biology (College of Charleston)
Profession: farmer
Current residence: Semora, NC
What is your favorite memory of being part of UNCW’s Swimming & Diving program?
Being part of the team and showing up to practice every day to work hard and feel like I accomplished something. College was rough, to be honest; at the beginning of my freshman year, I herniated a disc and it turned into CRPS/chronic nerve pain down my whole leg that I’m still dealing with today. Being able to continue swimming and have the support of coaches and teammates really did keep me going–not just in swimming, but in life in general. I especially loved ocean swim/run/swims and a good challenge set in the pool–Coach’s ‘Roses and Weeds’ set was one of my favorites.
How has your experience as part of UNCW’s Swimming & Diving program impacted or influenced your life?
I learned to be more resilient to failure. With a chronic injury causing my body to continually fail me, it was frustrating to get slower while watching my peers improve and reach their goals. It felt like my hard work never paid off, but I’ve realized since then that it did, just not in the way I wanted at the time. I learned to do things not for the glory or even the pride of accomplishment, but for the simple love and enjoyment of it. I swam to appreciate the journey and not just the endpoint. It taught me to not fear the possibility of failure; there’s no reason to avoid situations just because success seems unlikely. I learned that things can always get worse, so I try to focus on the silver linings. Failing also taught me to cherish success when it does come and to really appreciate the things that I am able to do. It’s easy to stay motivated after success, but learning to persevere through failure has been way more impactful to my life. Starting a business and growing food has brought a lot of failures and having the practice of not giving up has been instrumental in getting through them.
What have you been up to since your days on the UNCW pool deck?
After graduating, I moved to Charleston, SC and got my masters in Marine Biology from the College of Charleston. During that time, I also worked as a swim coach for the local club team (Southern Marlins Racing Team) and was a regular at masters practice every morning. After graduating, I moved back to NC and started a farm business with my brother on family land. My brother raises animals (chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows), and I do the vegetable production. I grow about an acre of mixed veggies year-round and run a weekly farm stand in Chapel Hill. We have an overarching goal of using ecological/regenerative techniques to produce food in a way that improves the land instead of degrading it as conventional agriculture does. My time spent in the marine biology world taught me that our oceans are sick and agriculture plays a significant role in that. There’s not much to do about it once pollutants reach the ocean, but literally moving upstream from the problem has allowed me to use my degree in an unconventional way and I can attempt to make customers aware that there are downstream effects of their food choices.
Favorite stomping grounds from your time at UNCW?
The pool, Wrightsville Beach, Masonboro Island, Dobo Hall, Flaming Amy’s, Boombalati’s
Favorite UNCW Swimming & Diving slogan or cheer?
The conch shell!
Parting advice for current UNCW Swimmers and Divers and/or recent alumni?
Be appreciative of what you have! Despite my pain and many failures in swimming, I never considered quitting because I still loved it and knew it was a privilege to be on the team. I vividly remember the head Athletic Trainer at the time telling me, “You need to seriously consider what your priorities are and if it’s worth it to you to keep swimming,” about a month into my injury freshman year. While it was a totally inappropriate thing to say at the time for numerous reasons (there’s more to that story…), it helped me realize how much I valued my spot on the team, and I don’t regret my decision at all to keep swimming. Whether you’re aiming to be a CAA champ, or you’re working to earn a spot on the travel team, make sure you appreciate the fact that you have the opportunity to be there and take advantage of it!