[7/9/04]When Maggie Bowen was a youngster, she hated swimming. She even cried every time she got in the pool.

My, how things have changed.

Bowen, 24, was set to compete today in the 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Calif. She is fighting for a chance to earn a roster spot on the U.S. team at the Athens Olympics something that eluded her four years ago in Sydney.

After missing the cut in Wednesday’s 400 IM preliminaries, the Jackson native is eager to get back in the pool for her final shot.

But she wasn’t always so eager to jump into the water. Vicksburg native Lauri Collins, 43, remembers a scared little 4-year-old who reluctantly came to swimming lessons.

“Maggie cried and cried,” said Collins, who now lives in Ridgeland. “She didn’t want to swim, happily, until she was 7 years old.”

Collins taught swimming to both Maggie and her older sister Mimi at River Hills swim and tennis club in Jackson.

Maggie Bowen was the youngest of four sisters who all took part in swimming and the one Collins never thought would stick with it.

But she came from a strong background in sports and was supported very well, Collins said. Bowen’s father, Bo, played football with Archie Manning at Ole Miss and her mother was a stellar tennis player.

Collins said she could tell the Bowen girls had received their parents’ talent at a young age.

“They had a perfect kick,” she said. “Both girls were strong. They just had very athletic builds.”

As she got older, Maggie started to improve steadily, but couldn’t win the high-point trophy in meets because her parents’ religious beliefs prevented her from racing on Sundays.

“Maggie did not turn into a superstar when she got really good until about 11 or 12,” Collins said. “She started training hard and became very good.”

Bowen competed for Jackson’s Sunkist swim team and later followed Mimi’s footsteps to swim at Auburn University.

She finished third in the 2000 Olympic Trials, missing a trip to Sydney by .15 seconds in the 200 IM. Her disappointment shifted to dedication, and Bowen became the world champion in the 200 IM in 2001.

She came into this week’s Olympic trials as the top seed in both the 400 and 200 IM. After faltering in the 400, with a time of 4:49.57, Bowen failed to qualify for the final.

Now her last hopes of achieving her dream lie in today’s heat. In fact, Bowen’s agent Evan Morgenstein said she was not talking to the media to help her stay focused on her goal.

If Bowen clocks a top-eight time, she will qualify for Saturday’s finals, where the top two earn a spot on the team.

And she can thank Collins for helping her stay in the pool and practice her strokes.

“She had too much athletic talent,” Collins said. “I wasn’t going to let her give up.”