The smell of chlorine hangs in the air as a row of athletes stand before the vast pool. They’ve honed their bodies for months to glide through the water and to outlast the competition. The murmurs of the audience dulls as the athletes crouch down, prepared to dive. One final breath before the whistle shatters the silence and the athletes leap off their boards. Show time.
Members of the FHS swim team headed to states to compete against the other best swimmers in Va. Every swim event was represented at the state competition, from breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle, relays and even diving.
Of the FHS swim team, only three students qualified for the competition, with senior Lana Barkovich for the 50m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke, junior Marcus Pollach for the 100m Breaststroke and junior Nina Woodside for the 100m Backstroke.
Assistant Swim Coach Jonathan Kraut explained the selection criteria to go to states, saying, “Either they have to make a particular time, similar to track, or if they place in a particular event during the regional competition which was last weekend.” Pollach added that, “You go to regionals if you place top five in your individual event.”
The three state-bound swimmers stated that this is the first time they’ve gone to states. However, don’t let this fool you, as they all have years of experience under their belts. Nina Woodside, for example, has been swimming since fourth grade and continued for the last eight years. Woodside also added that she’s been a long time member of swim clubs outside of school.
As the time for the competition draws near, the athletes reduce the length of time they train, but not the intensity. According to Kraut, this is called “tapering.” Tapering allows the athletes to keep up their skills and conditioning while saving up their energy. That way, they aren’t sore or tired when the day comes and can perform at their peak.
According to Kraut, each event gives a team points based on performance. Whoever has the most points is crowned the overall winner. The state competition took place in Richmond, VA. on Feb. 17 at SwimRVA, a facility inside the Collegiate School Aquatic Center.
Barkovich explained that the meet had two rounds, preliminary and finals. The preliminary round takes place in the morning. It’s essentially an elimination round, where the top 16 of each event move on to the finals. From there, swimmers would compete again in the afternoon and receive final placement in their events.
The Falcons delivered a stellar performance with Barkovich in the finals for 50m Freestyle, Woodside for 100m Backstroke, and Pollock made alternate for 100m Breaststroke. That afternoon, Barkovich and Woodside returned for the final bout. In spite of fierce competition the pair performed admirably with Barkovich ranking 11th and Woodside 12th for their respective events, concluding the swim season.
Here’s hoping for next year’s Falcons to continue this streak!
