MU swimming has international appeal

COLUMBIA — Like most things in the new millennium, Gilad Kaufman and Martin Cernansky started with the Internet.

In hopes of furthering both their swimming and educational careers, Kaufman, a senior from Netania, Israel, and Cernansky, a junior from Maria Enzersdorf, Austria, both researched the top swimming schools in the United States before e-mailing Missouri head coach Brian Hoffer about competing for the Tigers. They are two members of a roster that has more international athletes (five) than swimmers from within Missouri (four).

Hoffer said it's never been his intention to purposely seek out swimmers from outside the United States, nor does he think he is neglecting his in-state talent.

"We've never tried, it just sort of pans out," Hoffer said. "You want to put the best possible team out there, no matter where they're from. A lot of times they're the ones contacting us."

Kaufman started that process during the final year of his service in the Israeli army. According to Kaufman, in Israel, both men and women have a mandatory obligation to serve, with the men's duties lasting for three years and the women's for two. As his tenure came to a close he had to decide whether or not to continue his career in the army and sacrifice swimming, or to pursue an education in the states as a collegiate swimmer.

"I couldn't go to university in Israel and swim because there's no collegiate (swimming) system there," Kaufman said. "So I started looking at international teams."

After considering five schools and even taking a trip to Columbia to see the school, Kaufman chose the Tigers. But while the new facilities and Hoffer's coaching style were attractive parts of the decision, Kaufman hinged his choice on a more surprising factor.

"Believe it or not, I like Columbia," Kaufman said. "I prefer small cities, quiet, things like that."

After they arrived in Columbia, both Kaufman and Cernansky had difficulties adjusting. Even though Cernansky took English classes while living in Austria, his education was in British English, and conversationally, it took time for him to feel comfortable.

"I had difficulties to understand, but after a while you can understand people," Cernansky said. "And of course speaking was even harder, but after two or three months I was OK."

Kaufman was surprised at just how different his old and new environments were.

"First getting here was a shock, a cultural shock," Kaufman said. "It's a completely different culture."

According to Hoffer, the shared obstacles that international swimmers face often cause them to gravitate toward one another. Cernansky's first instinct upon finding himself in a foreign environment was to do just that.

"All of those international guys go through the same thing," Cernansky said. "They have the same struggles, they have the same up and down cycles. First off you seek all of those international guys and you try to talk to them."

Another part of adjusting to life in the United States was adjusting to the different approach to collegiate swimming. On the international level, swimming is an individual sport, but upon arriving at MU the feel of practice and competitions was different for the two athletes.

"It took me a while to get used to it," Kaufman said. "Why do I have to do that if it's not best for me? Well it was best for the team. It took me a while to understand that."

For Cernansky the change was a welcomed one. In Austria he was often surrounded by professional athletes, and swimmers who had been to the World Championships and even to the Olympics. Practices had a professional, business-like atmosphere, which is part of the reason Hoffer says Cernansky is one of his most consistent and intense trainers.

But after becoming a part of a team with more than 60 athletes, rather than 15, Cernansky found he enjoys the lighter side of swimming.

"It's much more fun swimming over here than back home," Cernansky said. "It's a job back home. If you don't swim fast you don't make money. Over here it's more about having fun."

The team atmosphere made it easier for both swimmers to transition to a new home and to build relationships with their new American teammates.

"Of course it was easier for me to interact with him (Cernansky) because he came from a different culture, but now American or international it doesn't matter anymore," Kaufman said.

"When I got here, I was looking for people from Europe to talk to them, to help me," Cernansky said. "But as time went on, I found really good friends with Americans."

Kaufman hopes to get a job in chemical engineering after graduating, and Cernansky, who will graduate at the end of this school year, wants to attend graduate school in the United States.

No matter their future, the experience they have had competing in the United State has been a rewarding one.

"It's a different culture, and it's a different mentality," Cernansky said. "I've learned a lot, and I'm still learning from the culture and the people here. It's a great experience for me."