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Think, Fast With State Meet on the Horizon, Teams Accept the Sectional Challenge

Posted on: Sunday, 20 March 2005, 21:00 CST

Mundelein boys swimming coach Rachael Abel has a simple plan for how the Mustangs will prepare for Saturday's sectional meet at Vernon Hills.

"Shave, taper and think fast thoughts," she said.

At this point in the season, that's all area teams can do.

The swimmers already have put in the hard work. Now, it's time to see how well their training has paid off.

"Mentally, we're working on helping the kids believe in their taper and that they're going to have ultimate performances," Warren coach Jory Blauer said.

Libertyville, Mundelein, Warren and Vernon Hills will all compete at the Vernon Hills sectional. Diving begins at 9 a.m.; swimming starts at 1 p.m. Stevenson will host a sectional with the same starting times.

As a team, Libertyville was not happy with its third-place showing at the North Suburban Conference meet. The Wildcats believe they have a chance to challenge Lake Forest for the team title, but only if they swim to their potential.

"We had a team meeting (Monday) and came away more focused and prepared about what we needed to do," coach Kate Chronic said. "I was glad to hear them take some ownership about the things that went wrong. In the back of our minds, (we know) if we swim our best we have a shot at the team championship."

As a team, Stevenson is focusing on the little things while also keeping the atmosphere light.

"We're working really hard on relay starts," coach Susan Whitehouse said. "We had the radio blasting (at practice). The guys are in a good mood, and we're trying to keep their spirits up and make it as fun as possible."

During the regular season, Mundelein spends one practice each week working on stroke drills. This week, the Mustangs are focusing on starts, turns and finishes every day.

"Everybody looks like they're ready to swim fast," Abel said. "They're ready to see a lot of time drops, and I think they'll see (some) drastic improvement."

Blauer said the Blue Devils' main focus is to get every swimmer to drop time.

"That's the primarily goal," he said. "We also want to get some guys down to state; that's what we're gearing up for."

Vernon Hills coach Phil Pardun hopes the Cougars benefit from playing host to the sectional.

"There's a home-court advantage when you're playing basketball, and there's the same thing in swimming," he said. "You know the pools and the walls. This is the first time all season we've been really rested, and it should be interesting to see what falls out."

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

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