That was the case for Andy Schmitz when he decided to join the swim team in college. That one decision, something Schmitz did to stay in shape for track, is quite possibly the reason he was named head coach of the U.S. Olympic Triathlon team last May.

Before he fell in love with the triathlon, Schmitz was a track and cross country standout at Avon Lake High School. His fleet feet earned him a spot on the cross country and track teams at Baldwin-Wallace College, where he was very successful.

During his senior year, Schmitz decided to supplement his track training by joining the school's swim team. It was at this point that he discovered his love for the triathlon.

After college, Schmitz participated in triathlons to quench his thirst for competition while working at Accenture. But after seven years at the same job, he came to the realization that the business world wasn't for him.

''He kind of had a midlife crisis,'' Tom Schmitz, Andy's father, said. ''He decided to go to Australia to train for a triathlon.''

From there, Schmitz was hooked.

Schmitz returned to the United States and accepted an assistant coaching position for four thousand dollars a year at Ohio Wesleyan University to coach track and cross country. While at OWU, Schmitz enrolled at Ohio State University to earn his Master's degree. During his time in Columbus, Schmitz founded and coached OSU's triathlon team and continued to train for elite races.

''He's participated in a number of triathlons as an elite amateur,'' Tom Schmitz said. ''He's run the Escape from Alcatraz race a number of times and has placed in the top 10-12 places every time he's run it.''

As Schmitz's reputation as an elite amateur triathlete and coach grew, he garnered more coaching offers, including a position with USA Triathlon. Schmitz moved to San Diego to accept the position and became coach of the Junior National team.

Because of his work with USA Triathlon and running triathlete camps, Schmitz was named head coach of the triathlon team at the University of California, Berkeley about a year ago. All of this success has been terrific for Schmitz, but it couldn't compare to May's announcement that he would be the Olympic coach.

''It's a fulfillment of a dream,'' Schmitz said. ''As a kid, you watch the opening ceremonies and you dream of being there. I didn't have the athletic gifts for the Olympics, but to make it as a coach is truly a dream come true.''

Now, with the Beijing Olympics on the horizon, Schmitz is preparing his athletes for the most important race of their lives. He plans on flying into China in early August for the Opening Ceremonies, but will leave right after they end.

''Because of the air quality in Beijing, he will fly the team to South Korea to train and fine tune for their events,'' Tom Schmitz said.

When his team returns to Beijing, Schmitz expects his athletes to perform and represent the country well.

''We're one of five countries to receive three spots on the men's and women's teams,'' Schmitz said. ''We easily got three or four athletes who, on a given day, could get on the medal stand.''