In the H2O Zone

Run faster. Jump higher. Throw harder. Simple, natural, physical tasks we all learned as kids. Swim faster? Now that takes a different talent: talent to learn and master the proper techniques in a foreign environment; talent for enduring long, grueling hours in the water; talent for enduring pain. "But pain is a good thing," Lakeside Seahawks Swim Club coach Mike DeBoor says with a wry smile--a smile only a coach can produce. "The top-level swimmers train like it's a job. They swim 11,000 to 13,000 meters a day, five or six days a week, nearly all year-round. They know it's going to be painful and difficult." The "they" DeBoor is talking about happen to be some of the top high school swimmers in the state, and maybe a few who are among the top high school swimmers in the country. Leah Reinhardt, a senior this coming fall at four-time defending Kentucky state girls' champion duPont Manual, is one of those nationally ranked swimmers and will compete in the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly events. DeBoor, who is her year-round coach and a man who's not one to give compliments easily, calls her a "stud," and adds, "Leah is great in the water and in the weight room. She's even better than she thinks she is." Leah has won the 100-yard butterfly event at the Kentucky high school state championship meet the past two years. She was a two-time runner up in the 200 individual medley at the state meet; and she has set several records as a member of her high school relay teams. She has a good chance to end her career as one of the most celebrated Kentucky high school swimmers ever. But listen to her talk and you'll get a glimpse of an unselfish athlete. "High school swimming is focused on the team. I want to win every event I swim for my teammates, our school and all the fans that support us. You get more motivated and excited to compete for your school. There's something about a state title that is really cool." The training it takes to reach this level "can take its toll" says Reinhardt. "We're in the water in the summer for more than four hours a day, Monday through Thursday, as well as Friday and Saturday mornings from 7:15 to 9:30am. It takes away free time and my summer, but the results are well worth all the work." My mother, Viola Najjar, who has taught swimming for more than 60 years, explains her love for swimming simply: "The water takes away all your worries." Reinhardt sounds like my mother. She loves the water and loves the competition. "It's an escape for me. Like a second home. No matter what stresses I have, there are no worries when I'm in the water." Devan Terry, a rising junior at Male High School, is another of those talented local swimmers. DeBoor sees that day in and day out, "Devan has a ton of talent, there is no question about that. But the biggest obstacle for Devan is consistent training." "The training is tough, hard, draining. I always have to think about the bigger picture; to think beyond this practice and this drill," says Terry. "But it's all in the preparation. And I'm preparing for a future Olympic Trials and, hopefully, a scholarship to a Division I University." Terry is not alone with those lofty goals for getting to an Olympic Trials and a college scholarship. Caroline Thomas will be a sophomore at Manual and has her sights set on the 2012 Trials and a potential scholarship to college, too. Thomas' terrific freshman year ended with two firsts (in two record-setting relays), a second in the 50 free and a third in the 100 free at the Kentucky state high school meet. Not bad for a 14-year-old. "I just try to go as fast as I can. I know that the hard work will pay off." DeBoor says of the slight-of-frame Thomas: "She's a naturally talented swimmer with a terrific work ethic. She's a great competitor with good technique and a strong kick." (I personally know of Thomas' great capacity for training. I coached her on a summer team for 10 years.) "I was raised in the water," she says, "and having some early success made me love it even more and want to keep training." Thomas talked about the camaraderie and friendships she's formed from swimming. "We're around each other so much, it (the swim team) is like a family." But that doesn't always mean smooth sailing in practice, "It's tough at times to motivate yourself to do the work, but my teammates are always supportive. And that makes me want to do my best to help the team. Just score points and try to break records if they're in reach. Swimming's all in the heart and helping the team motivates me to work harder to get better." Some swimmers have a different take on all the work. Trinity senior Patrick Kemme says of the most difficult aspect of training, "It's tough to just to wake up before 6:00 am every day and be in the water by 6:30. And (Lakeside assistant) Coach Nate Knopf really knows creative ways to push us and make us feel the pain of a tough workout. But everyone else is doing it, so there's no reason to stress about it. Besides, all that pain pays off in the races." Assumption sophomore Michelle Gasior has really impressed coach DeBoor with her work ethic and capacity for the training. "Michelle is an absolute workhorse. She out-works everyone and is a very competitive and intense swimmer." Gasior may not have enjoyed as much success as others at the state high school meet, but she did make the top ten in her two individual events and looks to improve her results during the next three years. "I want to get to the state finals and be as fast as I can be. The training takes up a lot of my time, but it's well worth it. I know that I have to put in the work to perfect my technique in order to reach my goals." While Gasior has the heart to get where she wants, John Bullock, a senior at St. Xavier, thinks the most painful part of the training is the mental part. "You really have to get your mind to trick your body through the hardest parts of the training. Swimming is physically draining and so mentally tough, but you have to believe that you're making yourself better." What does he think about during those tough workouts? "I just think of Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) to get through the worst parts." That's the old, "whatever it takes" philosophy and it works even for teenagers. Bullock's St. X teammate, senior Maclin Simpson reiterates that swimming "is all in the mind. It may be difficult, it may be time consuming, but it's an exciting challenge for me. And it may give me an opportunity to swim at the next level, which is my ultimate goal." Claire Grogan, a junior at Oldham County, echoes the St. X. boys' sentiments about the mental aspect of the training, "It really is a mental challenge every day, every practice. But the swim team sort of becomes an extended family and the environment is filled with positive attitudes. That positive environment helps push me to do my best. And the opportunity to compete is a real thrill for me." When I was coaching swim teams, my coaches and I often had to come up with ways to get the kids through the down times; the times when they could not see the benefits of all their work. It was at those times that team spirit and positive attitudes played a major part in propelling the kids to the next level. "There are so many ups and downs in swimming," says DeBoor. "You have to look for every positive that you can for the kids to show them where they were, where they are and keep reminding them where they are going. It isn't easy, but I wouldn't trade training swimmers for any other job. There's a lot of pride seeing the joy that comes with their success."