One of the toughest parts of each Camdenton swim practice is just getting to swim practice.
“It’s really time consuming, driving the 35 minutes to our pool,” said Camdenton junior Gavin Schulte.
The Lakers use that 35 minutes each way to be productive.
“They take a lot of naps,” joked Camdenton Head Coach Anna Leezer.
Okay, so they do take naps, but they’re also productive.
“We have to eat on the bus. A lot of us have to do our homework on the bus,” Gavin said.
It’s all part of Lakers swimming.
“Everything to get prepared for practice and get ready and for after practice,” Gavin said. “It’s all just a really long ride.”
That hasn’t stopped Schulte from recording top ten times in the state for the 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard freestyle.
“Every time get gets out of that pool he self-reflects. ‘What did I do good? What can I do better? What are my next steps?’,” Leezer said.
Gavin’s next step is the state meet, where he’ll compete for the second straight year.
“I want to medal in both of my events, and I want to place top three or even win one of my events,” Gavin said.
Last year, Gavin became the first Camdenton swimmer to medal at state.
It’s an accomplishment that would’ve been impossible just five years ago, when the Lakers didn’t have a swim team.
Now, Gavin has helped give Leezer a foundation for her program.
“There are some guys who haven’t swam a whole lot, who don’t have that year round swimming like he does,” Leezer said. “So he gets in the pool with them and he encourages them and motivates them and tells them ‘you can swim this, you can do better. You can swim faster.’”
Gavin hopes to lower his times even more throughout the next year so he can swim at a division one level in college.
So as Gavin’s times sink, the reputation for Camdenton swimming rises, making Gavin this week’s athlete of the week.
