Preston's Blog

Getting ready for a swim meet is crucial to a swimmer. Especially if it’s a big meet like state or nationals. Its what swimmers do, taper. Which means we still show up to practice, but it is not as intense as it normally is because we need to save our energy for the upcoming meet.

Depending on when the meet is you should be preparing for it. Recovery is most important. You should be getting at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Eating the right foods is important too. You should never eat like crap before a meet if you want to do well. You should be eating a lot of pasta, drinking water and such to prepare you body and keep it healthy.

Long Course is just around the corner, the second short course ended every swimmer gets a short break, depending on how long your head coach says it is.

Long course is the longest period of time to swim without any kind of holiday to interrupt practice or meets. It is also swam in a 50  meter pool where short course is swam in a 25 meter pool.

For some people it is easier to swim in like me because I am not good at flip turns, but for others it is hard because they rely on the flip turns for that second break to let your body cool down for a second while you push of the wall.

Reece Whitley was kid of the year back in 2015 for swim swam news. His 200 breast stroke qualified for the Olympic trials. Before he even started to swim full time, he was an avid basketball and baseball player.

At the age of 17 he is faster then previous olympians.

Almost every swimmer’s dream is to swim in the Olympics. If not the Olympics, then the NCAA division 1 college swimming championship.

Every year D1 colleges from all across the United States of America get together and see who is the best of the best in the nation.

My dream has always been to swim in the Olympics, but I did not think it was possible. Swimming for a D1 school is attainable.

State for high school is not over and my swimming career is over and I will not be swimming for quite some time.

My plans after high school is to attend EKU for media. When I went to visit them I asked them about a swimming pool they said they might bring back the swim team in about 2 years or so. Which actually made me really happy.

 

This Friday is state for swimming at the university of Louisville. The top 2 swimmers from each event come every region in Kentucky get to compete at. A lot of the times you can go if you have a good time.

It’s coming close to the end of my swimming career and I’m happy and said at the same time. I wish I could swim in college but I’m glad I’m not at the same time. If you don’t walk on the team and swim with a scholarship then they basically control you.

Plus I just want Ted to stay fit in college and I can do that at the gym where ever I go!

9th and 10th of February  Regionals for Woodford County High School were held at Falling Springs. This was my last one ever and I was very excited and sad at the same time.

The first day everyone qualifies and it was pretty packed. My first day went pretty well, I qualified for Finals the next day for my 200 freestyle and my 500 freestyle.

The second day was a little slower because only people who were good made it to that day. I placed 12 out of 30 people in my 200 freestyle and 16 out of 18 in my 500. I did not place in state but their were many other people who made it. Our 400 freestyle relay made it to state and broke the region 6 record with a 3.21.79!

Regionals is only 3 days away. Swim practices have been easy so we can save our strength for the big meet.

If we go to hard at practice then you’ll be to tired for your event so you have to tapor for the whole week.

This year I think I have a chance to go to the championship heats for the second day of regionals and possibly make it to state.

If I make it to the second day I’m going to wax my leg hair so I can go faster.

Every year for swimming whether it’s for highschool swimming of a U.S.A team there is a state meet at the end of the season to test your progress against the best swimmers in the state.

For highschool it’s a bit different. A couple weeks to a month before state you have to go through Regionals. It consists of two days, the first day everyone goes, the second day is the finals and only take the top 16 out of the hundreds of people who swim.

This year it’s on February 9-10 but there’s a bit of a problem. The ACT is on the day of the finals for swimming and they’re both at the same time and I don’t know which one to do because both are important.

Reflecting onthe last swim meet of my swim career before regionals and state. These past four years of highschool went by so fast.

Every year before regionals the guys, the swishers team, get their hair cut. My seniors, however, they want and have to wear it to school for that whole week.

My freshman year, which was my first regionals, a girl named Maddie Jackson died in a car crash. Before the meet we all prayed for her family. When we did we all held hands and this random guy put his cold hands on my head and left them here the whole time.