The Sailfish have a busy summer schedule ahead

Published 4:58 pm Thursday, May 31, 2018

Summer is offically here which means most sports will be ending or offseason training will be beginning.

The Winchester Sailfish are treating summer no different as they swim and train year-round.

These student-athletes travel all across the state to train with head coach Mavi Sampaio.

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Instead of swimming short distances throughout the school year, they will be preparing to swim longer distances.

The younger swimmers will be combining with the Winchester County Club team for the summer and the advanced swimmers will go to Shillitos outdoor pool in Lexington starting on June 5 to practice the 50-meter.

Miami of Ohio this weekend, Erlanger from June 22-24, Louisville and then the state meet in late July in Elizabeth town are all meets that these swimmers are looking forward to this summer.

Sampaio said that swimming in the summer season compared to the winter season is significantly different.

“There is a huge difference in preparing for the different seasons,” he said. “The swim meets during the summer are in the 50-meter pool. It is way longer than what we normally swim. We will start practicing in Lexington at a 50-meter pool at Shillito Park next week so they can get used to that pool. That is a huge difference when it comes to racing. They need to learn to race in the longer pool.”

Sampaio said swimming during the summer has a better effect on the swimmers compared to training in the school year.

“They have more time to train and swim in the summer,” he said. “The 13 and over kids practice twice a day, two times a week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we practice in the morning and then come back and swim in the afternoon. Every other day we practice in the morning. So it is just two more practices than what we normally do.”

Sampaio said he enjoys every moment spent training the kids to be successful in what they do.

“I enjoy being with them all the time,” he said. “I think it has helped me stay younger. I love teaching them and helping them out. At the end of the day, coaching is teaching especially when you are dealing with young kids and young adults. It is really helping them succeed in showing them the path and succeed in whatever they want to do. Hopefully that will carry on with them the rest of their lives.”

Bourbon County freshman Jacob Greenlee said he will take advantage of the time he has in the pool this summer.

“I want to make sure I get good times,” he said. “I am going to make sure I use this time to my advantage to make sure I get to where I want to be.”

Montgomery County sophomore Cameron Coffey said he is going to use the summer time to prepare for his future.

“I want to see if I can drop times,” he said. “I want to try to get as fast as I can to prepare for college.”

Coffey admits swimming in the summer at times is more difficult than the school year training.

“It is harder to pace yourself since you are in a 50-meter pool,” he said. “It is harder to get faster.”

Greenlee said there is a huge difference training in different seasons.

“It is a completely different level of training,” he said. “In the summer you go from extending your stroke and have a longer stroke compared to your starts and turns in a shorter pool.”

Greenlee said other than staying in shape, he enjoys the time he spends with the people around him.

“It allows me to be around my friends,” he said. “I like that I have people pushing me.”

Coffey he could not imagine his life without swimming.

“I have always swam for as long as I can remember,” he said. “People have swam in my family so it’s kind of expected for us. It teaches how to take losses and what to expect from ourselves.”

Greenlee agreed.

Madison Central freshman Izzy Cooksey said swimming outside in the summer is a big difference than swimming inside during the other seasons.

“We get to swim outside in the summer,” she said. “The pools are longer and we get to swim more with our friends.”

McNabb eighth grader Alexis Trent said it is hard to adjust to swimming outside.

“The longer courses outside are hard,” she said. “All the events are a lot different than the short course races.”

Cooksey said her goals this summer are to make sure that she makes the cut.

“I want to make the sectional cuts,” she said. “I want to make all my times.”

Trent said she has one specific goal for herself.

“I want to make it back to finals,” she said. “I want to at least try to qualify for one or two events and I will be happy with that.”

Cooksey said she has always had a passion for swimming and does not see that ending any time soon.

“I just get to do what I love,” she said. “I get to be with my friends plus I am really good at it.”

Trent said she enjoys the challenges she faces with swimming.

“It pushes me to try my hardest,” she said. “It shows that if you do not do it right then you are not going to be good. You have to try really hard plus I get to be with my friends.”

“It is a lot of dedication,” Cooksey said. “It is a lot of responsibility for yourself.”

“Swimming helps me practice responsibility,” Trent said. “College is a lot of dedication so I like how this keeps me dedicated because that is what college is all about.”

Baker Intermediate fifth grader Grace Owen said swimming requires a different kind of talent.

“I like swimming because you are defying gravity,” she said. “You can never do these things in the air, gravity will just pull you down.”

Owen admits the difficulties that the summer time brings.

“You have to wake up sometimes at like 6:30 in the morning,” she said. “It is outside too which we do not ever swim.”

Owen has spent over half her life swimming and said it has already shown her capabilities.

“I have been on the team for five or six years,” she said. “It has shown me a ton about my true potential. I have just really excelled in this.”

“I have been in the nine and 10 age group for forever,” Owen said. “I am now 11 so I am in the 11 and 12 age group. I want to get the 11 and 12 state cut.”

Some swimmers will be headed to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio this weekend.