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Boys' Swim Coach Won't Let The Gators Become Too Complacent

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By BART O'CONNELL Tribune correspondent

Published: October 12, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Where the beginning of a swimming season is a time to regroup, and the middle is a time to enjoy the sport, the end is where champions are decided.

As such, the intensity builds. Those who are ready for it thrive, and those that aren't don't stand a chance.

For the past two weeks, Coach Barbara Hayes has asked more from the boys' team - maximum effort each day in practice, working specifically on key elements to each swim, like reaction times at the start, making efficient turns and finishing strong.

The result is the Gators are peaking better than some expected, heading into this weekend's Sunshine Athletic Conference meet. The diving portion is today at the Land O' Lakes Recreation Center with swimming Saturday at the New Port Richey Aquatic Center.

'From an intensity level, we have not even begun to show what we can do,' said senior captain Craig Lawson, a short-distance freestyler. 'There's a lot of excitement within the team about this time of year, and being ready for it.

'Coach Hayes doesn't give us time to be complacent.'

Though Hayes does not want her team to peak until the Class 2A-Region 2 meet on Oct. 26 in Fort Pierce, where her relay teams are expected to contend for state berths, the added intensity in practice is part of a year-long plan to pace out the work the team puts in.

'You have to increase your level of focus. In this sport, a hundredth of a second can make a difference,' she said. 'But we don't want to burn them out, either. Anxiety can be a deal-breaker as well; it causes them to make mistakes.'

So far, the players have taken to the changes well.

As usual, Land O' Lakes is a prohibitive favorite to swim off with other conference title, against a field that includes other strong teams, like Mitchell and Gulf. The main reason is the team's formidable depth and versatility.

In addition to Lawson, who enters Saturday's competition having just set a personal record in the 50-meter freestyle (23.80 seconds) Thursday against Gulf, fellow captain Chad Habershaw has been setting PRs of his own in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke.

Other key contributors include Eric Singer (100 free, 200 free), Derrick Mysels (200 free), Curt Hilgenberg (200 individual medley) and Sean Lawson, Craig's brother (500 free).

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