The Columbus North swimmers will start having more intense training as they prepare for the second half of the season and the postseason.
On Saturday at the Columbus North Relays, however, it was all about having fun.
It was quite a different format style that fans are used to seeing in a regular meet. Some of the races featured the typical freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly relays.
There was a race that included an individual medley done in reverse order. Another race featured was the 1,000-yard freestyle relay with only three swimmers, with the first and third swimmers swimming 250 and the middle swimmer going 500.
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One of the more interesting races was the fins relay, where swimmers wore flippers during the race. Most swimmers had them duct taped to make sure they did not come off during the race.
“It brings everyone together and it was not about winning or losing,” said North’s Jared Carroll, who participated in the flippers race. “The only hard part about the race was that it really wore down my legs, but with the adrenaline, you really get through it.”
Another race that was very entertaining included a relay where the swimmers wore jeans. Some of the exchanges were interesting. One team had two members pull off the jeans by each pant leg, another team tried to pull it off first inside-out. Even a couple of swimmers almost lost their jeans completely while swimming.
“The jeans are huge, so the water fills it up fast,” said North’s Hannah Manlief, who participated in the jeans relay. “We had to go the extra mile in order to get a really good time.”
The most exciting race was the swimmers, parents, and coaches 100 relay. Bull Frogs coach Logan Schaefer participated in the event. Schaefer was a former swimmer at Southridge High School and swam one year at Indiana University before an injury prematurely ended his career. It brought back a lot of memories for him.
“It was fun, and the kids and parents get excited about the race,” Schaefer said. “Everyone likes to stand up and be loud for the race and cheer. It’s all for the kids, but it does bring back fun memories.”
Columbus North’s girls finished fourth with 300 points. Bloomington North won with 382.
Center Grove won the boys meet with 364 points. The Bull Frogs were fourth with a 306.
Schaefer now will have his team focused and get them prepared for the training that comes as they get ready for the state tournament at the end of the season. Prior to Saturday, Schaefer liked how his team was improving little by little every meet.
“It is the halfway point for us,” Schaefer said. “The kids are looking forward to finishing a great semester in the classrooms, as well as continuing to work hard in the pool.”
