C-G's Curtis works 3-year plan to perfection
By ROB SMITH -
rsmith@nwherald.com
|
| Cary-Grove senior Brent Curtis is the Northwest Herald Boys Swimmer of the Year. (Lauren M. Anderson - landerson@nwherald.com) |
CARY – The 100-yard freestyle at this year’s IHSA state finals was the culmination of three years of planning and hard work for Cary-Grove swimmer Brent Curtis.
Curtis, a senior, finished fourth in 45.66 seconds to go under 46 seconds for the first time in his high school career.
“From a times perspective, that was a goal I set all year,” Curtis said. “I knew I could do it, but it was just the greatest feeling when I actually did it.”
Curtis also placed 12th in the 100 breaststroke and was a member of the qualifying 200 medley relay team with Edward Griswold, Michael Kinross and Christian Weber.
“I’m really happy with how hard I worked and how far I came since my freshman year,” Curtis said.
For the second consecutive year, Curtis is the Northwest Herald Boys Swimmer of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches.
Also considered for the honor were McHenry senior Jon Lesniak and Curtis’ Cary-Grove co-op teammate Kinross, a senior at Crystal Lake South.
Lesniak took 11th at state in the 100 breaststroke, qualified in the 50 freestyle and was a member of the qualifying 200 freestyle relay team that included Graham Olson, Daniel Brucki and Reilly Shanahan. Kinross was 11th at state in the 100 butterfly and qualified in the 200 individual medley.
For Curtis, the preparation actually began after his freshman season when he first set his sights on the ambitious sub-46-second mark. Getting there required challenging himself mentally and physically, made even more difficult after a disappointing freshman season, the only one in which he didn’t make it to state.
“It wasn’t a very happy time for me,” Curtis said. “I learned a lot from my freshman year about stretching, optimum conditioning, setting goals and knowing that I could do what I thought in my head.”
As satisfying as breaking 46 seconds was, what Curtis will remember most about high school swimming is the team environment. It was that same team focus that taught him, particularly through the relay events, to be a better swimmer.
“The relays are the coolest part of duals. It’s like a team effort,” said Curtis, who plans to swim in college and has narrowed his choices to Indiana and Purdue. “I think in high school you really learn how to race.”
Trojans coach Jim Andriakos said Curtis will be missed in the relays both for his speed and the inspiration he provided to his teammates.
“Whenever we had Brent in a relay, the kids believed they had a shot at winning,” Andriakos said. “It helped everybody.”
Curtis also set an example for what was required to be a good swimmer, in practices.
“What I’m going to miss the most is how he would lead from the pool during practice,” Andriakos said. “He would swim like a machine and get everybody else motivated.”
Even with the hard work, Andriakos said that for Curtis to reach his goals was more a matter of belief than effort.
“He just doesn’t realize how good he is. He just never believed it,” Andriakos said. “He’s kind of modest in that he never wanted to believe he could go a 45. It was exciting to see the look on his face when he did it. That was the best part of the race.
