By Herb Benenson, Athletic Communications
Each January, the members of the Cal women’s swim team travel to Hawaii for 10 days of intense training to prepare for the heart of their season, as well as for the upcoming Pac-12 and NCAA Championships. Without the burden of classes early in the month, the Golden Bears take advantage of much of what the island of Oahu has to offer, including pool, beach and ocean workouts.
But on one morning every year, the Cal squad breaks from its busy schedule to offer a little back to the Hawaiian hosts and conducts a clinic for local age-group swimmers from Honolulu, providing tips and instruction to dozens of young girls and boys.
During this year’s event, as the Cal swimmers introduced themselves to the crowd at the Veteran’s Memorial Aquatic Center, one of Hawaii’s own – freshman Jasmine Mau – stood with the microphone as a Golden Bear. What made the moment unique is that a mere five years prior, Mau was on the other side looking up to the Cal swimmers as a participant in the clinic.
“I remember being impressed with this awesome group of talented young women and hoping that one day I would be able to swim at the collegiate level and be a part of a great team,” Mau said.
What Mau learned that first day meeting the Bears, and ultimately played a significant role in her decision to join the team in Berkeley, was the family atmosphere she observed. Family, or ohana in Hawaiian, is an important part of the island culture.
“When I went on my Cal recruiting trip, I just had a gut feeling that this was the place I wanted to be,” Mau said. “It was so much like a family and it’s definitely become home away from home.
“Yes, swimming is important, but it’s much more than that,” Mau continued. “It is about character, respect and developing life skills, which is the culture of this team. Today, as a Golden Bear, my teammates support and encourage me (and each other) to reach our full potential, in and out of the pool. It’s awesome to be in an environment where everyone has the same goal in mind.”
Mau began swimming at the local YMCA when she was about 5 years old. Like a typical active child, she dabbled in a variety of sports, including soccer, golf and basketball. For a number of years she concentrated on swimming and basketball, often running from swim practice to basketball and arriving with her hair still wet from the pool. When high school came around, she had to make a choice because the two seasons overlapped and she wouldn’t have time to do both.
Mau blossomed as a member of the Kamehameha Swim Club under coaches John and Kevin Flanagan and swimming for Punahou High School. She won 13 Hawaii state championships, including three each in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley, and was a three-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American. Perhaps most notably, Mau set a national independent high school record in the 100 fly with a time of 52.23 as a senior.
One semester into her Cal career, Mau has reached NCAA “B” qualifying standards in both the 100 fly (53.00) and 200 fly (1:57.00) and hopes to be a contributor for the Bears at the national meet.
Beyond the times, Mau seems more convinced now that she made the right choice to attend Cal given what she has learned about herself and her teammate in Berkeley. Mau’s parents, Laurence and Colleen, agreed that the sense of family played a key role in their daughter’s recruitment.
“We asked her what’s good about this program?” Laurence said of some of Jasmine’s recruiting trips. “She’d say the facilities. But when we asked her about Cal, the people on the team made her feel at home. Right then and there, she knew she wanted to be in that environment because she knew she could go to great schools and she could go to great programs. It was the feeling of an extended family away from home that made the difference.”
“I think they’re part of our family now,” Colleen said. “It was nice we got to meet some of the parents (when we were in Berkeley for a meet in October). They really embraced us. That’s what it’s about. It’s one big family. We are part of the Cal family.”
