Sections done, State to come
Boys’ swimming prepares for last meet of the season
March 4, 2016
With the boys’ swim team’s 6AA sections over and four swimmers moving onto AA State, the team prepares for its last few days of the season.
Head coach Amanda Forsberg said she couldn’t have asked for a better section meet.
“I think they far exceeded anyone’s expectations, even their own. Almost everyone made day two of sections,” Forsberg said. “Everyone dropped time across the board. For example, Henry Hein dropped 22 seconds in his 500 free and lettered for the first time.”
These many drops in their racing time by the team also led to three team records, according to Forsberg.
“Three team records we’re broken at sections, one by Nils (Rykken) in the 100 breaststroke, which was from 1977, and the 200 and 400 freestyle relay records,” Forsberg said.
According to Forsberg, the 6AA section is so competitive she can’t remember the last time the boys’ team won a single event. Nonetheless, four of the team’s members are moving onto State.
“We have Nils (Rykken) in the 50 free and the 100 breast. Nate (Stone) in the 100 fly. And the 200 and 400 free relays both consisting of Nate (Stone), Ryan (Casey), David (Salamzadeh), and Nils (Rykken),” Forsberg said.
To help the swimmers mentally get ready for State, Forsberg said she uses a visualization tape.
“This visualization recording targets swimming specifically. It takes the boys through their races and talks to them about seeing their times and being relaxed,” Forsberg said. “We then follow this with a quick pump-up video to get them excited and ready to go.”
Junior captain Nate Stone said he hopes the team makes it to finals in both individual and team events.
“As well as the relays, I hope to make top eight in the fly,” Stone said.
Besides Stone’s 100 fly, the boys are seeded outside the top 16 for the remainder of the events. According to Forsberg, all of them making it back to day two will take a little bit of work.
The boys’ team is a mixture of nerves and excitement right now, according to Stone.
“Being at State is exciting enough,” Stone said. “As for the nerves, being nervous only makes us faster. We focus on staying relaxed in the water and just try to have fun.”
The State AA prelims took place at 6 p.m. March 4 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, while the State AA finals are at 6 p.m. March 5 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.
