Suzannah Bianco and Nathalie Ingram

00:00 Play so this is Natalie Schneider Ingram. I am 52 today is December 4th 2020. I'm actually in Colorado Springs Colorado and I am talking to my awesome friend and teammate Suzannah Bianco Bianca. And we are actually teammates from the 1996 Olympic team. But we say I'm together for a really long time before then. It's true.

00:29 My name is Suzannah Bianco. I am 47 today is December 4th, 2020. I am in Las Vegas, Nevada with Natalie bartleson Ingram and we know each other because we have competed together for years. We competed at the Olympics together as teammate and before that week. As competitors since we were young teenagers.

01:00 That's right.

01:02 So I get to ask you some questions just find out a little bit more about the things that I thought I remembered in the blanks, but I wanted to ask you so what are three words that most accurately describe our sport of synchronized swimming which is now USA artistic swimming, right? It is Artistic swimming in three words. I would describe as the first one is difficult.

01:37 For sure.

01:39 The second word would be

01:44 Teamwork

01:46 And the third word I would say tenacity.

01:51 Because

01:53 You can't do this fort without any of those things.

01:58 It is difficult.

02:00 And it's the description of it. It doesn't look difficult. I mean it kind of does depends on how well you can swim but it is difficult and we could dive deeply into that of how we don't have gravity to push against and we're also trying to look like we're not dying holding our breath when we are and I was just going to say the number one thing is people say that looks so you make it must be so difficult and turn aspects of it that are difficult like being out there all day. It's raining all day and being cold creative.

02:52 And

02:57 Unique

02:59 Very good. Yes, all the great part of the creative part is that we're constantly in a state and the choreography of what else is possible.

03:13 So when you're in a state where yearly your get to ask what else is possible not just what we've done or what other people have done, but what hasn't been done yet which has there's lots of things. So you're right. I love the creative part of it. And you know what? I think what makes our sport unique and that's why that was my my third word is not only are we training and physiologically you're always working at being our best flexible. Our endurance are anaerobic capacity our strength. We we did so many different types of training right member when you do the dance classes in the water, but aside from from the athletic Excellence, we actually we actually had to have

04:13 Does a ways of moving that not everybody could and then do you do put in her legs somewhere? I know something and then oh my gosh, how am I going to put my foot there, but it was very but if it was more it was more lyrical and obviously artistic and we could just go crazy with our imaginations. That was what my favorite part of the year when we were creating and choreographing. I think it's part of mine too. I feel like we had enough choreography to write 10 Olympic routine cuz we did and part of that world on.

05:10 Queso part of that the choreography part is where we get. We got to delve into the possibility part. Like what else can we do? When what looks good on everyone because like you're saying some people can do these crazy things and that we would try it and like these two or three people that just didn't translate as well. But look great on her butt and I we would have to stretch ourselves to become all like each other and to learn and grow in each of our strengths.

05:41 So that it was really cool. I remember a couple of funny things work on the list because it big but part of arts for it is those highlight lift. So if you think about well maybe like cheerleading where they do like the baskets goes in those kinds of things such a combination of different sports, but man let's try this and then somebody's like armpit with bought, you know, go in my you know my face and you're just like sometimes I get more things didn't work then they did work of course Oso.

06:24 And we were reversed it. We were like being falling on and jumped on and kicked right as a yes. You were lucky enough to be a flyer a lot of saliva. Yes. I was both but mostly I yeah you you didn't get to do both cuz you were only a base cuz you're Natalie. You are one of the strongest people on our team. So yeah for the free routine, I actually was this little I was kind of like a leaf. We are supposed to believe right as I was on my tummy kind of position and Jill Savory hiring around. Oh my gosh. I'm so excited.

07:15 Okay, I want to ask you in another couple questions. So the flyer in the bass up just

07:25 Okay. What second Susanna can you describe what a flyer and a basis describing those bowls, right? So the base is it's like you would imagine if the person who's under the water and doing the grunt work of having to hold a breath and push or stabilize everybody else where the flyer position is. The person who has to look like it's easy hold the difficult positions and trusts everyone else and tell everyone else what they need in order to percents as good because of pliers nothing without a base.

08:08 Absolutely. I need the skills of the flyer are very acrobatic. Right the acrobatics to be but divert a tumbler the stability of us figure skater of a ballet dancer just a yoga instructor number one thing between the base in the Flyers like we had man. We just really had to communicate and yeah County Jail all of us couldn't communicate but that the field to there was lots of times when we would they ignore the music ignore the timing feel the motion underneath you and then you would just go with how it felt is he can feel the the the push in the emotion you can feel people moving around you and that was sometimes the only option that's why it was a lot of times better.

09:09 Without music or choreography cuz we just felt each other and did it and then we would try and put on the music and it wouldn't work cuz we were all pushing a different times and yeah, it's kind of like the ultimate part of team work to do a full team left requiring a people to be in the same feeling of a momentum at one moment Synergy, right? I think it's either Jill said it's myth or fact you dial answer. Do you guys just feel it?

09:53 I think it was still feel it.

09:59 Yeah, I think that was Jill. Yeah, it's it's true because when we're not

10:05 Like at at some point even it's easier to close your eyes and do something because that way that you could feel the water moving around you could feel the bubbles you could feel to help her clothes that person was to you or who's directly behind you even though you can't see them you can feel them weather is energy or like whatever connection we were able to have we could feel each other. So, you know how many times I almost got kicked in the nose but I didn't because I can feel that foot coming right by me and I would do with it yesterday and it's true. It's true wheeler artist was pretty good. We didn't really have liked that one person that always kick somebody I know what are sports it was you you're right away on the other side of the pattern, you know, the paddock think of us, like remember, we're like a kaleidoscope right if you have a people and I was always on the way other side and then I didn't mean

11:05 Two but somehow it's kicking somebody on the other side and then come up and go now. What do I want to ask you what three sounds do you associate with our sport?

11:25 Splashing

11:28 Bubbles are similar the sound of breathing like the breast. But inhale I think is one of the big sounds like their shape with their sport.

11:41 Yeah.

11:43 And competitively

11:46 The sound of beeping like the beeping under water. So that sound that water is different than are like all the water molecules are close together. So we don't have all the interference so we can make sound underwater that you can hear from farther away than Atlanta cuz there's no interference. So when we could communicate to each other underwater weather was yelling or I mean yelling without like making a noise.

12:23 God of thunder

12:26 I feel like those other three salads because we would hear water all the time. We would hear that all the time and training and we would hear breathing.

12:36 I wish I had heard more breathing up man breasts.

12:42 Marbury that we can hear each other. I mean I heard myself breathing a lot but also that that kind of feeling that was before we went underwater for a long time, but you knew it was coming and you could just hear everyone and you know in the training aspect of it you can hear the coaches just that's a constant sound does a forest sound the microphone. So the coaches number has a microphone of though there was an underwater speaker. And of course, you know so we can we can never get away from them. They were you know, yes above water and below and the funniest question I get from people is like how do you hear the music underwater and then I'll say there's another water speaker and then they go but what about the Bubbles and why do my gosh the speaker is not breathing.

13:34 But it's a speaker is loud.

13:38 My mic one of the sounds that I associate with the sport is actually quiet.

13:48 True as much quiet as you can have like you were saying and it was so peaceful. I think I need to go into a pool now and just go hang out. Sometimes it's a lot easier to be underwater than above water. That's true because your senses are all quieted down and the only things you can't hear our water maybe the sounds of splashing but there's not a whole lot to hear underwater unless the music's playing music, but it's still it's very isolating. Like if you're underwater to hear music, that's all you hear. You just hear music there snow outside sound of snow birds chirping. There's no

14:29 Cars, there's no interference of any sort. Yeah, that's true that quietness that Stillness in peace when it's underwater.

14:37 So like if you think about calming your nerves so we'll what do you remember having like a routine to calm your nerves before you competed and then you still use them today? And when are you supposed to leave you do? Okay. I did have a routine and it was very much for me right before we go out. Okay. I'm going to bring this up and I'll ask you a question after this but right before we would go out and I would like close my eyes. I would go into myself.

15:15 And I would do a lot of the good stuff doc KB got this, you know, like you've done this a thousand times literally thousands of times and so the whole part with me like really closing my eyes and kind of not shutting everyone else out cuz I very much needed the people around me to be around me but shutting out the all the other stuff so I could do that. I would take deep breaths. I would do good self talk and like set my mind on this is what is happening take this moment in and let's go and I'm sure and there was prayer and I'm sure if there was checking my nose clip like I know so if we know that we use on her and I had my extra one in case the one of my face fell off.

16:03 I'm checking and what is down? Yeah, and I always had it in the place I train with it too. I don't know if you know that I go this spring with an extra nose look in my suit just in case I had to yes. Oh, that's right me to answer because I would have to put it back on like I was wanted to be trained, but I can put it back so

16:30 That was part of it training. Like I would wipe down the sides of my nose. So I thought it was raw body oil whatsoever. So it would stick and it wouldn't tell us the skin on your nose anymore. Right? So that was a regular part of my call me. My nerves was getting those routines in place of things that made me feel secure good ready to go. And so my question for you is do you remember what it was like in the waiting room when we were next?

17:02 At the Olympics you remember so.

17:08 We had gone in there. We did our team cheer.

17:13 And then there was that moment like tell me about what you remember from that time.

17:19 I wish I was like warmer than the pool. I remember.

17:28 You know it was.

17:33 We knew we were going to win but it wasn't a given so we had to stay in. I had to stay in the moment. We had to stay in the moment. I remember.

17:42 Sitting cuz where there was so much standing and going from one place to another and I I remember you know, part of our train is really figure out.

17:52 Hey, what you going to do right before when you do the day of how are you? We would literally rehearse step by step of what we would do that day where we would be and I also knew that I couldn't I couldn't stand all the time. Like I had a sit-down. So I remember sitting down at my hands on mine is kind of liking, you know, taking some deep breaths and then actually

18:17 We we learn to not think of too much. I remember just to say just

18:24 Don't forget anything just

18:27 See, so I saw the diving platforms out that that big glass window wall, you know before you go out to the competition room and like you were saying

18:40 Those self-affirming statements

18:44 Breathing

18:47 I remember like at my cheeks mother smile like a little smile. I felt that in my cheeks and you were smile all the time. Oh my gosh, my cheeks like that happiness red and I saw I felt like a connection to everybody I felt together.

19:07 And one of the rituals that we did before we walked on the deck. So you walk out to the pool deck and then you have to walk up on the platform at the end of the pool. Where you remember where we do your network, which is the just a few seconds of your presenting and then you jump in the water. And so we all had our little breathing thing where we know we're holding hands cuz we're in for me and I think I was the one that would that count it because you want to start the same time on the same foot to step out to be synchronized before you go out there and I remember we did three breasts.

19:47 So is that a big inhale exhale and then two more of that those and then we squeeze each other's hands and then I think I counted five six seven eight and then we start walking up and it was all that just keep it simple. And so I do use that it's even in my daily life. I have a lot of

20:08 Crazy fantastic ideas, but

20:11 I can get overwhelmed with them. And so I'm definitely self coach and I go take a deep breath.

20:19 Keep it simple. And it every time I do that I relax and I'm ready. And then I see the the thing that is the most important for me to do, right? I remember feeling

20:35 It's like we had visualized.

20:38 And I remember that I knew what my feet felt like on the deck.

20:44 Before I got out of the deck like I remember sitting that waiting room whenever visualize it and I can feel my feet on the deck before we stepped out there and the energy of the crowd, but I also just felt like

21:00 Myopic is that just like I was so focused just on our team. I don't remember seeing anyone else so I can but waiting rooms or remember one team I come in crying cuz they're list Pho and it was just like okay observe being like, okay and she just kind of like hurting us to a different part like focused. We're focusing here because they came in it was there was drama going on and I don't know which one it was.

21:37 So I remember that part I remember our our total team 10 share now. We we get together and I'll put her hands in the middle and Total Team 10 because I don't remember why because there's 10 of us actually eight summers in the water. And then when it was our games, we had two alternates, but the awesome thing about our coaches was that we were really such a strong Squad of ten ladies that that everybody got system at least one routine. And so they were ten of us that were important each is important as the other and that was our future and like 10 as Perfection to the highest score that was

22:25 Yeah, that's what we're going for an earlier. When you were stalking you were talking about like not necessarily like knowing we would win but I always felt like our biggest competitors wasn't always the people who you're competing against but it's our Sergeant our selves and our own team in our own excellence and our own like level of holding ourselves high in to be the best we could be so I feel like that was our Focus like we weren't focused on our competitors. We were focused on ourselves and I think that's one of the reasons that we were where we were because we were these like blinders on myopic like we are going to do this and yes, we have competitors all around us, but we were just ourselves as part of our strength.

23:20 Yeah, and that came from where that came from Chris and Gail are coaches. Yeah, I really think especially Chris she was.

23:29 I think they both had a vision remember it was so hard for us to understand something because Jill said it would be like she was totally understand what Chris is talking about all those translate all the time the words and then she said she would melt the word that's true getting a little emotional when you're talking about being in the room before and then walking out there. But what was that about?

24:17 You can make me cry.

24:23 Let's see.

24:28 I think because

24:33 There's such a moment in time that there's such strong emotion.

24:41 Like I'm crying now wasn't crying then.

24:45 And so you remember that I've attained dryer now I do if I forgot I totally remember now why all the time when I was happy when I was a sad but I was frustrated. I would just drive out as I've gotten into my 47 years of life. I just accept it. Like I don't even like judge myself or say that I'm I just let myself into those emotions like

25:19 Obviously, there's still just as strong as a word that moment as they are now.

25:26 And even going back to being on the podium and watching the flags like we've talked about this before I cannot to this day. I hear the national anthem and not tear up. It doesn't matter. Like I think I'm good. It was like by sons of my daughter's 5th grade graduation and I was sitting there I was totally fine. I was just listening to slap and being played in all of a sudden three-quarters of the way through I'm like, wow, like it's this emotional attachment Trigger 2. How much was wrapped up in that national anthem for our country being played on our gold medal in Olympic podium.

26:12 And to have that emotional accessibility like there are so many moments from our Olympic Journeys in our turns Journeys in our hold synchronize with artistic swimming Journey. They have that kind of like that emotion doesn't ever have to go away like it this close to me as it as it can be and I have access to that at all times. That's part of

26:40 What we get to carry as Olympians is this memory and attachment to?

26:51 Excellence and to accomplishment and to finishing and to the kind of

26:59 Texas athletes, we were all striving to be and become you know Susannah it was such a glorious.

27:10 Not just a moment, but a glorious experience because I remember not just Pride, but I felt so much pride n

27:24 So honored to represent my country I loved and I loved.

27:33 Being an ambassador for the United States of America

27:37 I loved knowing that.

27:41 It was important for us to be on our best behavior.

27:47 Because it was important and it is important and

27:53 You know, they say that at the Olympic Games many people.

27:58 Either rise up to the to the challenge or you've heard stories about so many people have been your world champions for so many years and then make it to the Olympic Games and then they

28:08 Don't succeed in their goals, which is you know, whether to be on the podium or win because there is a lot going on that.

28:17 If you don't get in there beforehand and figure out like that, you're like your wounds and you're in the things that drive you and they because there's so many weird things that happen at the Olympic game. Just

28:31 Like, you know what the other begins with the the bombing so, you know, there ain't distractions those or political things I can happen, but there's so many things that

28:43 It means to us because we're watching it. I was watching it you were watching it since we were little kids. So we put a lot of meaning to to this but to the journey and the experience and I think there's a lot of fear in there. So I'm so glad that we were part of a team. I'm so glad I had you and I'm so glad that I was there for you because I just made it so much better so much richer and getting to talk to you about it. It just makes my life even today better because that

29:20 Well, I think that like we have a team and we are like we're some of our biggest supporters like of each other to this day at and like we have a team call on Sunday, which is a couple days from now. I know what about the Olympic

29:46 Experience but we competed against and with each other for so many years because we both grew up in California to San Francisco Bay Area you grew up in Santa Clara which is the Silicon Valley South Bay. And then I was in Walnut Creek California beaches outside of east of Cal Berkeley about 20 minutes. We were literally within 45 minutes of each other. So we grew up competing against each other. And then once we made national teams, right we were then we would keep compete with each other and then so rudely. I don't know but it was so unique. How would you be like, you know, you guys were afraid he was National Champion throughout the years but to come together as a Olympians and representatives of the United States almost seamlessly was pretty amazing.

30:47 That's true, but in the early days of competing.

30:53 What were your early days of competing like and then when did you realize you stood out from the rest of your competition?

31:03 You know, I thought about that kind of thing and

31:07 I've often just see myself like everyone else and I didn't see that. I stood out other than like I had a great toe points. I had to really get extension of a knees.

31:18 And for the most part my splits for flat and it for a long time. I didn't see what was different about me, but I felt.

31:27 I felt the energy around it. I had a lot of support from my family my parents and my sister.

31:36 And of course and my team like tenacity of the coaches that pushed us and made us definitely more than we could have ever been on our own.

31:50 And teammates who did that to?

31:52 Come where it was a there was a competitive aspect always not just between our clubs but between like as teammates for me to better myself not as if she's better than I am and I'm worst kind of thing. But this is what I get to work up to.

32:11 And the hardest-working person on our team who like before the Olympics was probably my sister because she didn't just do the team event you to the soul of that. She did the Divine Events. So in the world competitions working up here that she was the first one in the pool. She was the last one out of the pool and I remember leaving the pool at some point and her like she's doing Solo or her until we're getting wet and I remember thinking that's why she's the world champion cuz she's still here Jose State one of those Summers and we got to get out, you know an hour late, of course, and then she had to say it was starting to get dark cuz I've been started early like at 7 a.m. And it was getting dark in this is summer anyway, so I'll be back in by and see how she looks just like little

33:08 I'm talking about I said we were collectively going.

33:15 Yeah, this is the moment then. That is that. She's looking this little wave. Goodbye. And I was thinking this is why she's the world champion cuz she's here exactly.

33:27 So what we asked you a question, so how has

33:35 Since we've moved on from the Olympics and

33:40 Gone into life outside hooked on the other side. What's been the most difficult thing of not being an Olympic synchronized swimmer in your regular life now like moving into work moving into school the finding your identity.

34:00 What's been some of the most difficult parts of a?

34:03 I remember it was about seven years after the Olympic Games. I was driving down come around 680. So that's the freeway in a in San Jose cuz I was living down there. I've gotten married like a month after the Olympic game and I thought it was 7 years after where it took me seven years to feel normal. Whatever normal is but normally wear my identity wasn't just wrapped up in driving all the time. Lil Wayne drive your car, but you know yourself in because when I first got married listen, I grew up. My mom was a single mom. It was just me and my mom and my sister so Christine who had some too if she's almost six years younger than me. So she was she's down for a handful of years and and then I was riding all you ladies all the time. So we ended up the back of our hands.

35:03 I got married to this man in a real identity shift because I remember one day he said to me, you know, you're not an athlete anymore.

35:24 I mean, I don't think you meant it wasn't because I feel like we're always an athlete but that that was a little hard because my identity was so wrapped up in that and I didn't know I was having a hard time finding my way. Like, what's my calling? What's my what's that?

35:44 Peak of that mountain peak that I'm going to climb and do ye, you know whether someone I really care if something is there not as far as like I didn't care about accolades cuz again, our coach has taught us. It's about the journey. It's about being excellent your best self. So that difficult thing his just help me reflect and understand. I'm really a human being

36:11 And

36:14 I don't have to prove myself. I don't think I ever did maybe to myself but I don't have to do that anymore.

36:25 The other difficult thing is I do compare my stress levels to bed and I do this is nothing and so anything that so I can kind of minimize.

36:37 Rape like now I'm really with high blood pressure and I'm not heavy like 5:50 the weekend very active. I think I know myself but so I'm I have to figure myself out as a normal human being.

36:54 An end to be happy connected and relevant.

36:58 Is that so bad? I mean easier as I get to talk to you and my teammates and I have a husband now, you know, he's just

37:10 He's a he's a great support. So I turned it. I think I've turned of difficulty into just understanding that there are phases in life, but I'm so grateful to still stay connected, right?

37:24 It's something that we get to hold on to all the time. And you know, like we know we have her mother as an Olympian once an Olympian always an Olympian and I feel like like once a teammate always a teammate is the same kind of thing. Like it's not that doesn't change either. Like you'll always be my Olympic team me the number we called each other each other chlorine sisters. Why you lick your arm smell like chlorine like for always that hardly ever went away, especially because you know, you're still at work just like when did you join sec to play? What year?

38:15 A year after the Olympics. So 1997 you join the o show for the formation in Montreal. Right? Right, and then I've been with the show now open the search for 23 years. So you send chlorine. I still smell like chlorine and I still have a team. So there's something in there some aspects of like I haven't had to go without a team yet and I'm finding out the other places in life where I get to Have Nots

38:52 Where I get to have a team beside me, whether it's with surface lay or whether it's with

38:58 I have a leadership group that I'm tired of that. I I now have a new team. So I'm fighting like I do I work best in a team environment. But yeah, I work best with support and feedback yet. So I realized that like I don't have to do everything by myself. I don't have to Lone Wolf that I don't have to which is kind of what I thought and every great athlete has an aspect of I can do this like I its butt and especially the sports that are singular but are like, there's always a team behind every success doesn't matter if it's a coach or trainer or appearance or

39:45 A friend like there's team is part of life. So I think I'm a team is by Design and a team is with purpose and we can always create and design a team that's with purpose and each team is unique and important and end.

40:06 An

40:09 But I don't ever have to be without a team. Yes. I know what it is to be on an excellent team. I really know what it is. And you did something. That's like a model that way the rest of my life. Yeah, it's true.

40:31 Well do it when this life I love you. I feel so lucky. Only that I was able to be part to be part of the Olympics doesn't like being back to be part of this team and

40:51 To be in a place in time base where we got to achieve the best that we possibly could achieve and when and beyond that gold medal Podium and Care are anthem at the Olympics played for us because of all the work we had done and then and then everyone around that all of our supporters all of our parents all of our officials like the whole team just keeps expanding. Yeah. I really don't know it's not all about you. It's like there's a whole lot that goes behind it. You know what I love about my teammates.

41:34 Especially you is that you can tell me the truth cuz you know me so well, but you won't hurt my feelings.

41:42 Right, and it's because I love you.

41:47 Oh.

41:49 Hopefully let's go. Let's see how this goes.