Riley High School Boys Swimming
By: Jarek Ruszkowski
Image Credit: Jarek Ruszkowski
The sport of swimming isn’t a very popular sport to most people. But for Riley High School, their boy’s team dedicates almost 20 hours a week of practice and weight room, not including the long meets every Tuesday and Thursday nights, as well as some Saturday afternoons. The only days we take off are Wednesday mornings, Sundays, and holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. There is little to no free time.
How do they do this? In an interview with 3 athletes from the team, I asked how they maintain school work, swimming, and social life as well as what it is like to be so dedicated to a sport for four years that takes so much time and effort.
The Riley Boy Swim Team has made a name for itself with 7 State Championships and 7 State Runner-Ups. The program is celebrating its 70th season this year, as it was founded in 1952. This year the team looks to win a sectional championship, as well as send multiple swimmers down to the state meet.
In my first interview with one of the junior standouts, I asked my brother, Ignatius Ruszkowski was his goals are for this season, he said, “I want to win sectionals, have our medley and 2 free relays break the school record, and to have people in each event go down to state and score points.” Obviously, this is not something that is easy to accomplish in Indiana, one of the fastest states in the country for swimming, but the amount of discipline from the crucial 5:30 am practices, to the strict diets each swimmer does on their own time out of the pool to do what is best for them, can get them to this team built goal they set for themselves.
The last time the boys swim team won a sectional championship was in 2018. While losing to Penn in each sectional championship since then, they seek their frustration into this upcoming season by giving Penn a taste of their own medicine by winning the sectional title. This year for the 2022-23 season, the boys host the sectional meet again.
“I am very excited for sectionals to be back at Riley. To have home pool advantage is huge, also for the chance to win sectionals at Riley would be great,” said Senior Captain Ashton Maurer. People may think that home pool advantage isn’t a thing in swimming, but it is one of the best things you can have in swimming. It’s just like any other sport with home-court, or home-field advantage. Home pool advantage is a tremendous factor in winning big meets.
Image Credit: Jarek Ruszkowski
So, how do they prepare for a meet this big? Junior, Chris Bartmess said, “Getting used to the atmosphere around you,” while Ashton Maurer says, “I have to know who I think will be swimming and how they swim, I have to prepare outside of the pool getting the optimal sleep and food so I will be ready to go.”
The swim team, with their discipline and the way they train, will have an amazing season and have nothing but great outcomes at the end of the season. Good luck to the boys swim team on their goals for the sectional title and sending swimmers down to state to score points.
