10 Questions With...Amanda Beard

Every day, U.S. swimmer Amanda Beard spends hours in the sun training for next summer’s Olympic Games in London. That’s why the seven-time Olympic medalist teamed up with Serena Williams, David Wright, and Mia Hamm to engineer and test Mission Athletecare’s skincare products under the most extreme training conditions. A solid sunscreen helps these athletes burn their opponents without burning their skin, and now it’s available to everyone (Products on missionathletecare.com are 30% off when you use the discount code “SummerSun”). The hot summer sun is no match for Amanda, but our 10 questions will turn up the heat. Keep reading to see how she does.

What time is your alarm set for?
About 6 a.m.

Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry ice cream?
Chocolate, with lots of whip cream.

What was your childhood nickname?
Uh-oh. It was “Poos.” My sister used to say I was like a little piece of poo, so everyone called me that.

If you weren’t an athlete, what would you want to do?
I think I would want to open my own clothing boutique. I went to school for retail and consumer sciences with a business minor. I’ve always kind of dabbled in that field, but never had time to do it.

Do you have any pre-swim superstitions?
Well, I have to try my goggles on a couple times. I fidget with them a lot, so that is one. I don’t have a lucky swimsuit, though. We go through them so quickly and we have a new one every time we race, so just whatever the fastest swimsuit is at the moment is what I wear.

What is your favorite city to compete in?
Rome. Italians are spunky and fun. They get really into sports. And there are crazy swimming pools made with marble. It’s a lot different than the generic swimming pools that we have here.

What do you do on days off?
Usually just hang out with my son and my husband and our dogs. We play cards with our neighbors a lot and watch movies. I watch a lot of scary movies, but I can’t watch them with my two-year-old son so we’ve been watching a lot of Toy Story. Right now, it’s so hot in Arizona that we can’t even go outside. It’s supposed to be 110 degrees today.

Who is the greatest athlete of all-time?
I’ll go with Valentino Rossi. He’s quite impressive. I mean, something like motorsports, when you’re riding a motorcycle around a track — those are not easy to control. It’s very impressive, and throughout his career he’s continued to be amazing.

Who is your best friend in sports?
Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) is one of my best friends, and he races cars now. He was in the Atlantic series. He does all open wheel racing.

What is the last item that you purchased?
I just bought a bunch of Toy Story wall decals and stickers for my son’s bedroom.