Boys’ Swim competes at Bonner Springs
Sophomore Andrew Blazo competes at Bonner Springs on Feb. 1
The boys’ swim team took 4 at Bonner Springs on Feb. 1. The team had several accomplishments including senior Jarod Blazo taking 3 overall in the 100 backstroke and 1 in the 500 freestyle. Senior Cameron Webb took 2 overall in the 100 freestyle with a personal best time in that individual event. The boys’ 200-medley relay and 400 freestyle-relay teams finished in 2 and both had new best times for the season.
Head coach Alissa Ruffin enjoys seeing the team improve throughout the season
“The athletes continue to push past their comfort zone by trying new events as well as challenging themselves to go beyond what they thought they could do,” Ruffin said.
Senior Jarod Blazo is glad that the 400-meter relay team is getting closer to qualifying for State.
“I think we were all very surprised at our improvement in the 400-free relay,” Blazo said. “We got out of the pool down on ourselves, but we had actually improved on our time, which was a great realization.”
Blazo has now qualified for State in two events, the 500 freestyle and 200 individual medley (IM) and is looking forward to it.
“Qualifying for State is awesome. To see all of your hard work pay off and know you’re guaranteed a spot to show off is incredibly nice,” Blazo said. “You’ve already made the cut and from then on all you have to do is have fun and show off.”
Even though the team has great individual scores, since they have a small roster they do not usually place as a team.
“Because we are a small team, it’s difficult for our scores as a team to truly reflect our capabilities as well as our achievements during the meet,” Ruffin said. “We like to focus on the individual achievements, since it’s difficult for our team to place as a whole above the larger teams.”
The team’s results reflect their strong work ethic not only at meets but also at practices.
“These guys work hard daily during practice. They are a coachable group of athletes who are consistently striving to do their best,” Ruffin said. “[they] continue to press on and make awesome things happen in the pool.”
