Mountain View seniors poised to leave lasting mark on boys swimming program - Loveland Reporter-Herald

While often focused on enjoying their final months at home and preparing for the next step in life’s journey, the summer following high school graduation represents a critical transitional period for college-bound students.

So, chances are, plenty of senior swimmers hesitated when facing the decision to compete this season in light of CHSAA’s modified athletic calendar. With the Class 4A state meet set for June 24, committing to the Season D activity entails surrendering a significant chunk of the summer to the underwater sport.

Nevertheless, despite the notable sacrifice, Mountain View’s seven seniors never flinched upon electing to ride out the conclusive juncture of their prep careers the moment they learned 2021 would provide an opportunity to hit the pool.

“Going a month into our summer after graduating is a sacrifice.” senior Aiden Kaufman said. “We have club and a lot of other things going on. But it’s something that we all want to experience, especially after how disappointed we were losing last year. We’ve all been so competitive and dedicated to swimming through high school. We just really want to end on a good note and make this a special season.”

While aspiring to stamp a lasting legacy on the program, MV’s array of fourth-year contributors head into Thursday’s season-opening meet against Longmont owning numerous season-long objectives.

Namely, Kaufman and company commence the abbreviated, seven-dual schedule eyeing a trio of school records in the relay realm –– 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free.

Ambitious? Sure. Yet, seemingly achievable –– considering seniors such as Aidan Cranwell, Matthew McKay and Avery Vinton helped MV satisfy 2020 state qualification marks in each of the aforementioned relays during the team’s lone meet of the canceled campaign.

“I didn’t think I was gonna get them all back,” coach Maria Strait said. “But the fact that I did is absolutely phenomenal and tells me they’re really motivated to leave behind their presence in a positive way. I think that all started last year when we qualified all three of those relays in our first meet. That was a big turning point for them to realize they can do some really good things this year. I think that’s why they’ve stayed committed this offseason and why they’ve committed to giving up 30 days of their summer, which is a brutal thing to ask. They’re just such a dynamic, outstanding group.”

Though retaining the totality of her senior class transpired as somewhat of a surprise to Strait, it isn’t as if the soon-to-be graduates truly ever contemplated the option of forgoing the 2021 stint.

Eddie Herz/Loveland Reporter-Herald

Mountain View senior Avery Vinton operates during an early-morning practice at MVHS on May 10, 2021.

Rather than debating the fork in the road, MV’s upperclassmen stuck to the grind amid the offseason in hopes of eventually competing in 2021.

Hence, given the consistent efforts to improve behind the scenes and in club since 2020, the Mountain Lions seniors enter 2021 boasting excessive confidence in their capabilities of constructing a memorable going-out party.

“I would honestly say we started working toward this senior season the day we found out last year was shut down,” Kaufman said. “We never skipped a beat and we all truly put so much time and effort into the sport. Coming out of club, we definitely have an upper-tier on other teams. A lot of us, myself included, are peaking out. I haven’t been this fast my entire life. And there’s a lot of other team members in the same boat. This is the strongest I’ve seen the team look in all four years.”

Aside from relay-related goals, considering none have previously qualified for state individually, snatching a solo invitation to June’s highly sought festivities surfaces as a primary priority for each and every one of Strait’s seniors as well.

For Kaufman, punching a state ticket would constitute a particularly triumphant finale to an adversity-filled, ailment-hindered tenure.

In light of 2021’s unique stipulations, where an individual must reside within an event’s top-20 competitors by the time state rolls around, seizing an individual appearance certainly provides a fair share of difficulties.

Nevertheless, Kaufman –– who plans to specialize in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke this year –– views the circumstance as merely another obstacle to place in the rearview mirror.

After all, the veteran has already conquered a legitimate Vertigo scare and a deviated septum –– the latter of which kept him out of the pool for an extended period.

“I can’t stop putting chips on my shoulder,” Kaufman said. “At this point, it’s like my shoulder doesn’t have any room with how many chips I’ve taken. It’s just an extra thing to overcome, and now that I’ve been able to power through those illnesses, it’s time to shine. The state qualifications will definitely be harder than usual. But fortunately, I strongly believe that I’m going to be able to be part of that top 20 group, if not top 10, in at least two events.”

Kaufman’s passion to excel individually is evident, as is the seasoned swimmer’s yearning to help produce overall prosperity for the Mountain Lions.

But he isn’t alone. From top to bottom, MV’s seven-man senior class boasts a spirited desire to carry the squad as far as possible in 2021.

“These seniors want to walk out of here with the full boat of individuals and relays,” Strait said. “But they’ve really done a nice job with leading the freshmen, too. That’s been a big thing for these guys, trying to get some new kids in here. To me, that shows how much they want the team to do well and how much they care about the program.”

Loveland

Coach: Matt Murray (first season)

2019 finish: 3-1-1 in duals, 17th at 5A state; (1-0 this season)

Key returners, transfers or freshmen: Seth Miller (Sr.), Dawson Whittake (Sr.), Davide Peters (Jr.),  Chase Giandinoto (So.)

Coach’s outlook: “We are extremely excited to get our boys back in the water after a year off, we see every day at practice how driven and ready they are to compete again. We hope to see them continually grow throughout this short season and make improvements to their best times, teamwork, and leadership skills.”

Thompson Valley

Coach: Trevor Ten Brink (fourth season)

2019 finish: 1-4 in duals, 17th at 4A state; (1-0 this season)

Key returners, transfers or freshmen: Martin Johnson (So.), Joe Smack (Jr.), Caleb Pacheco (So.), Holden Wierema (Jr.), Nick Chapman (So.), Calvin Faller (Jr.), Sam Swing (Sr.)

Coach’s outlook: “We have a young and mostly inexperienced team that has a ton of raw, unrefined talent. We’re hoping that under the leadership of Sam and Calvin, we can get that refinement we need. We’ll be depending heavily on Martin Johnson and Joe Smack, our championship-caliber swimmer and diver (respectively,) to score the bulk of the points this season.”

Adblock test (Why?)

"lasting" - Google News
May 11, 2021 at 09:35AM
https://ift.tt/33yZmkk

Mountain View seniors poised to leave lasting mark on boys swimming program - Loveland Reporter-Herald
"lasting" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2tpNDpA
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini