CALGARY – The stage
Danica Ludlow finds herself on in Budapest, Hungary looks slightly different than the one she would usually be competing on at this time of year.
In November, in any other year, the University of Calgary Dinos swim teams would be preparing for the Canada West Swimming Championships, but instead, they have taken part in intrasquad meets at the UCalgary Aquatic Centre.
So, when former UBC Thunderbirds head coach Steve Price called with an opening to join the International Swimming League (ISL), Ludlow jumped at the chance to return to competition.
"Honestly, I really didn't think that I would have the opportunity to swim in the ISL this year, it is only the second season of the league and only 160 female swimmers in the world get invited," explained Ludlow. "After I did get the invite, [Dinos Swimming head coach]
Mike Blondal and I discussed it, and we both decided that it was a super unique opportunity that would be silly to pass up."
Team Iron had an opening for a 200/400m freestyler and Price helped to recruit Ludlow – who he had watched swim for four years in U SPORTS and before that as a member of the Swimming Canada NextGen program in Victoria.
"I am really lucky to be here because the ISL does focus on the shorter events and I tend to swim more into the distance range, so I am super grateful that the team saw my potential and I was able to join them in Budapest," said Ludlow.
Coming off a successful inaugural season which saw events in England, Italy, Hungary, and the United States in 2019, the ISL is hosting its entire 2020 season from Budapest. The ISL is a team-based competition featuring some of the best swimmers in the world, including world champions and Olympians. The league has focused on attracting new commercial and media interest to grow professional swimming and has been televised this year on CBC in Canada and CBS in the United States.
"The only time that swimming is really broadcasted is during the Olympics and therefore, it is really hard for professional swimmers to advertise themselves," mentioned Ludlow. "The ISL is really trying to get competitive swimming into the public eye as a sport that can be watched all year round and I think it's doing a great job of promoting the sport.
"The ISL is also paying both the females and males the same salary, same bonuses, and giving us all the same opportunity to win points. I don't think that any other sports league in the world is promoting that much equity in sport and it makes this whole league even more awesome to be a part of. I think it is really setting the gold standard for how other sports leagues should be run."
The ISL is operating in a bubble, like the NBA and NHL did this past summer. Ludlow trains twice a day and has three scheduled meals in which they eat distanced from each other but as a team. Between meals and swimming, Ludlow is working towards completing the final year of her degree from the Cumming School of Medicine.
One of the top swimmers in U SPORTS, Ludlow won a pair of medals at the 2019 Pan American Games and was gearing up for Olympic Qualifying when the global pandemic suddenly brought an end to sport competition globally. It also eventually led to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, giving the senior Dino an extra year to prepare to earn a spot with Team Canada.
"With everything going on I really don't know what my next steps are in my swimming career. Similar to most athletes, my plans were totally thrown out of the window this year.
"I hope to continue to swim fast for my team here, but also make my Dinos teammates back at home proud."
