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M
ost of Virginia Tech’s inter
national student-athletes are
experienced travelers, with the
wherewithal to order airline tickets, navigate
airports, use public transportation and speak a
couple of different languages just well enough
to ask the appropriate questions if confused.
Klaudia Nazieblo found a trick, though, that
helped steer her through the complexities of
the English language. Whenever she struggled
with a word or phrase or colloquial saying
that Americans often use in their respective
geographic regions, she sought out the
youngest of society to help with translations.
“Talking to the kids is the best way to learn
the language,” she said. “They won’t make fun
of you, and they use very simple language.”
Nazieblo has a relatively good grasp of the
English language these days, especially after
having spent the past four years in the United
States, including the past three in Southwest
Virginia as a member of the Virginia Tech
women’s swimming and diving team. This
young lady also has a relatively strong grip on
the Hokies’ record book as well, as a recent
perusal revealed her name being listed more
than 20 times.
That she got to this point—an All-American
and a three-time honorable mention All-
American—is an incredible feat considering
her humble beginnings in her hometown of
Wroclaw, Poland. She grew up as the daughter
of two parents who run a small restaurant and
the youngest of three children.
Her rebellious side led her to swimming.
She wanted to go out into the deep water
with her two older brothers, and her mother
insisted that she wear “floaties” on her arms.
She took them off because she wanted to swim
faster—a precursor of her future.
Her father wanted her to play tennis, but
she was having none of that.
“He was talking a lot and talking a lot, and
I was getting annoyed,” she said, with a smile.
“I thought, ‘If I go to swimming, he wouldn’t
be much involved.’”
So she swam all throughout her formative
years, landing on a club team and becoming
great at her craft. As she got older, she started
making more and more waves.
Dr. Ned Skinner, the head of Virginia
Tech’s swimming and diving program, and his
staff know how to navigate the international
swimming circuit. A former Skinner assistant
had contacts in Poland and already had lured
two swimmers from Wroclaw, Nazieblo’s
hometown, to Blacksburg—former women’s
swimmerWeronika Paluszek and formermen’s
swimmer Michal Szuba. They participated on
different club teams than Nazieblo, but knew
each other.
Continued on page 42
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Inside Hokie Sports