Sea Dragons build foundation for 2021
The cancelation of the many area swim programs will not impact the Cameron Swim Team, who seeks to establish a foundation for future improvement in 2020.
With meets against surrounding swim teams canceled due to concerns with COVID-19, the Sea Dragons will concentrate on form and technique in the hopes of not only building better swimmers but better athletes with many Cameron Swim Team competitors moving on to becoming stars for Cameron High School athletic programs.
“A lot of times we spend the first week or so getting them in shape. The majority of the time is spent getting them up to racing speed,” Cameron Swim Team coach Bailey Grassley said. “This year, we don’t necessarily have to worry about that much. We are going to try and get them to that point, but this year is going to be more focused on technique. We’re trying to get them to pick up the strokes and better form than we have in the past because we have more time to do it now.”
Bailey said the renewed focus on form will not only improve swimmers’ times, but also establish core muscle groups to improve their overall athleticism. A recent case study may be incoming junior Natalie Garr. As a freshman, Garr assisted the 2019 Lady Dragon relay team to a fourth-place finish at state. As a sophomore, her performance on the volleyball team garnered an All-Midland Empire Conference honorable mention as a setter and hopes to continue returning the program to prominence in 2020.
“Once you get the technique and the base technique down, you can build off of that a little more. Getting that technique down well this year is going to help them next year because they already have it,” Bailey said. “Next year, we can focus on speed work and endurance … Swimming is a great foundation. You’re getting in the water and using every muscle in your body. With that you learn a lot about body positioning. A big part of swimming is you have to stay in line with your spine. If your spine isn’t straight, it’s going to curve and create drag. It helps with posture especially.”
Cameron Swim Team President Molly Harp said getting this season off the ground was not a simple task. Although the chlorinated pool eliminates transmission of COVID-19, fears of large crowds still loomed. Even in the water, swimmers must maintain social distancing.
“We thought about just not doing swim team, but the board got together and said ‘we need to be creative,’” said Harp, whose eighth-grade son Kobe has been a part of the program since he was 5 years old. “Where there is a will, there is a way and these kids need something. I’m also a physician and kids need to be active for their mental health. They need a purpose everyday for getting up. I am worried about those things and, even if it’s something small, I feel like it’s worthwhile. We’re going to get creative and have more intramural competitions.”
