Unexpected difficulty puts a pinch on Council Rock South swimmers (PHOTO GALLERY)
Andrew Harmon hits the water in the 50 free for Council Rock South in its recent dual meet against CB West. (John Gleeson – 21st-Century Media)
SOUTHAMPTON >> A competitive swimmer without a pool is like the proverbial fish out of water. Somehow, the situation seems to present formidable odds.
The Council Rock South boys and girls teams faced just such a dilemma as the opening of the 2016-17 swim campaign neared. Their home waters which they share with Council Rock North were closed for repairs, forcing a cancellation of the traditional Swim Carnival.
The Golden Hawk aquatic hopefuls in fact did not get to practice in their pool until three days before their opening dual meet with Central Bucks West on Dec. 13. Sophomore butterfly specialist Nate Olhasso feels the team has weathered this adversity quite well.
“We’re looking pretty good right now. We’ve only had three consistent practices in the water because our pool was decommissioned for a while. Before our meet (with CB West), we had only had two practices in our pool.”
Such a disruption could have really dampened the spirit of these dedicated athletes who usually churn through two practice sessions daily on non-meet days. Nate, who also swims for the Pennsbury Aquatics club team, outlined the typical grueling schedule.
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“We usually have three morning sessions a week starting at 5:45 a.m. Two are for swimming and one is for lifting. We go to the meets and practice at least one afternoon with the team. The other days, I work with my club. I am probably in the water from 14 to 16 hours every week.”
Both the male and female Golden Hawks hope to better their strong showing from last season. The boys team finished second in the Suburban One League (SOL) National Division. The only blemish on their 5-1 league mark was a loss to archrival Pennsbury. Avenging that loss serves as a prime motivator for Nate and veteran teammates such Andrew Harmon, Andy Luzecky, Greg Roytman and Josh Belder.
“We’re really looking to beat Pennsbury this year. That is our main goal carrying over from last year when they beat us. We also want to get more people to districts.”
The Lady Golden Hawks also aim to make some real waves in the SOL. Last year, the girls finished with a 4-2 league record. First-year coach Melanie Craig knows she has a solid core of returning veterans to count on in the presence of diver Phoebe Shaya and swimmers Leah Barrett, Yuna Hun, Sarah Rosser and Natacia Nowmos.
Launching a successful campaign, however, required getting in the water. Nate recognized that the CR South boys would have to tweak their lineup against CB West to offset the lost practice time.
“We really wanted to put the club swimmers in the long distance events, knowing some of the just high school swimmers would be a little tired from not practicing on a consistent basis yet. That put us down a bit because some club swimmers were in events they don’t usually swim.”
The boys put up a valiant effort before succumbing by a narrow 94-91 score. Nate contributed to the Golden Hawk total, finishing second in his specialty, the 100-yard butterfly. Nate acknowledges that he evolved in his mastery of this complex stroke.
“When I started off, I used to be really good at backstroke. When I hit eleven years old, I started getting better at the butterfly. My worst stroke became the backstroke.”
Nate explained the seemingly unusual switch, saying, “My body changed. My backstroke stayed consistent but my coach said I couldn’t move my arms fast enough.”
Nate turned his attention to butterfly, a stroke requiring several essential qualities.
“To be a good at butterfly, you definitely need a strong core. You need a good upper body to power through the stroke. You also need powerful legs for underwater. It’s easy to get tired in the butterfly so you need good endurance.”
Nate demonstrated against West that he had all the requisite ingredients. Now, he aims at perfecting his craft. “Last season, I was sick a lot and definitely plateaued. I was a solid 57 in the fly throughout the season. At the beginning of the year, I said I wanted to get to a 54 or lower, even a 53 if I can.”
Nate took a step in this direction when he recorded a time of 55.57 against Central Bucks. More importantly, he was furthering a commitment which he feels will go far beyond the scholastic waters.
“I like swimming because it is a sport I could have a part in throughout my entire life, either through competing or coaching.”
Now that they are back in the water, all the Golden Hawk swimmers should prove a force to be reckoned with in the Suburban One League, and perhaps beyond.
