Shaine Casas reacts following a race.

Jack Spitser | Special to The Monitor

Shaine Casas was sitting in new territory. It wasn’t in a pool or a gym. In fact, for the first time in his swimming career, he didn’t have much of a desire to get back in the pool, or compete.

“I spent time with family and friends and didn’t do much of anything,” the former McAllen High and Texas A&M standout swimmer said. “I took my mind off everything. That meet was a failure for me and a disappointment. I was frustrated and had no motivation. I kind of lost that hunger.”

That “failure and disappointment” came during the Olympic trials last June. Casas, favored to qualify for the Tokyo games, touched the wall third in the 100-meter backstroke. He didn’t make the team. For a young man whose rise to superstardom came at a meteoric pace, this setback left him wondering what, if anything, was next.

“As for my career, I never had a failure, per se,” Casas told The Monitor during an interview from his home in Austin. “During college and nationals and other meets during my time I did well.

“This was the first time I kinda completely missed my goals, and at the worst possible time to do it.”

Casas refused to watch the Olympics, not wanting to be reminded of what had happened. Following the trials, Casas made a major decision to transfer from Texas A&M, where he had already won three NCAA swimming championships, and finish his college time at the University of Texas. That, however, hit some snags and Casas made an even bigger decision. He turned pro.

“It was definitely a big decision, he said. “I could’ve sat where I was. I had everything to lose. I had a full scholarship, I was comfortable and everybody knew me. I had the life everybody wanted. But I wasn’t happy with where I was in the sport.”

USA Swimming believes Casas is the first American male swimmer to cut short an NCAA career to turn pro since fellow backstroke star Aaron Peirsol in 2004, according to a story by NBC Sports. Peirsol went to the University of Texas, where Casas now trains under the same coach, the legendary Eddie Reese.

Michael Phelps and Michael Andrew also turned pro since 2000, both doing so before enrolling in college.

Casas said he plans to return to earn his degree, adding that “the time was right for me to do what I did.

“I gave it all up to win. I believed change would be good for me and get me to another level. I had to leave to continue getting better.”

During the first half of 2022, the now pro-swimmer Casas is at that level and still improving. A more voracious hunger has returned as he prepares to represent Team USA in the FINA World Championships June 18-25 at Duna Arena in Budapest.

Casas qualified for the team during the World Championship Trials in Greensboro, N.C. in the 200 backstroke. His time of 1 minute, 55.57 seconds in the prelims of the 200 back was the fastest time in the world at that point. In the finals, 2016 Olympic champion Ryan Murphy, a four-time gold medalist, turned in a time of 1:55.01 to take over the top spot in the world. Meanwhile Cases improved on his prelims time, finishing in 1:55.46, the now second fastest time in the world.

“I think I am getting there, even though I didn’t have the greatest trials,” said Casas, adding that he was starting to get sick during the event and “couldn’t even do my best in my second-best race. Still, I was successful at the 200, and just getting started.

“I really had no experience in how to deal with that failure and that whole process changes any person. After that I realized that I was doing this wrong. I decided to just get back in shape mode. Whenever you have a goal with no purpose, it’s going to be hard to get to that goal. For a good bit of time I felt that I had lost that fire.”

Casas said he still wants to punch his ticket to the Olympics but said now is not the time to focus on that since there is so much more swimming to do between now and then. “You can miss a lot of things in between. I’ll be in better shape and that spot should be mine to lose next time.”

Casas’ work with Reese, considered within the industry as the greatest swim coach of all time is completely different and at another level. The biggest difference now as a pro is that he swims “a good bit more.”

Training is completely different. With my old coaches it was amazing and we accomplished crazy things. We got to every single level minus those Olympics,” Casas said. “Here now there’s a lot more yardage and that can be shocking to the body. I’m pretty muscular and put on a lot more muscle since last summer and look pretty different, but some days can be struggling. You have to make sure you’re doing a little extra power work and do things a little different.

“Eddie told me to trust him and I bought into it. But there are some tricks I learned that made me who I am to get here so we walked about combining some of those things. He was open to it.”

Casas said he also enjoys the extra time he can be his own person and just swim. And, in his free time, play video games, something else, as he put it “I enjoy not sucking at and I’m pretty good at it.

“Maybe the biggest reason I’m happy is that I have more time to focus on who I am and why I love the sport so much. I’m confident and my mental state is good. Life for me is swimming. It’s not about fame or clout. I’m swimming now because I want to. I want to win.

“Now I need to focus on the details and make sure my mental game is good, put it together and beat 99% of the other swimmers out there.

“Make that 100%. I just want to be the best, at anything.”

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