• CMR swimmers lap the competition, prepare to finish season hard

  Filed under Sports
  Jan 29

  by Emily Peterson

  Senior Earl Lara knows how much dedication it takes to be a swimmer.  Since he was a little tyke swimming for the Peak Waves, he’s been sacrificing for the good of the sport and the team.  Lara has been swimming on the CMR varsity team since his freshman year, giving up all those winter activities he could be doing.

  “For starters, we forfeit our winter breaks, at which we have both morning and afternoon practices; including dry land training,” Lara said.

  Dry land training is done in a gym or weight room, working on resistance and cardio outside of the pool’s borders.  Swimmers use nearly every single muscle in their body when they swim, so it is naturally important to keep their entire body healthy, which becomes a full-time job.

  After Christmas break, regular practices resume from Monday to Friday.  Results follows practices Monday and Wednesday, morning practice Tuesday and Thursday and weight lifting takes place every day after practice. 

  “We also monitor our diets, managing our calorie, fat, and water intake. In essence much more than I can express in words alone,” Lara said.

   The team faced a minor setback this year because it lost a few of the most prominent varsity members at the end of last season.  Lara is confident that the team has not been fazed by this.

  “It’s a transition phase that we undergo every year.  Returning swimmers bring experience, and new swimmers add to the passion, becoming champions,” he said.

    Lara said he is proud of the team’s performance thus far and believes the girls just might take state again.

    “The girls have the talent and drive to grab a third championship title, a milestone for CMR Swimming.  The boys team, on the other hand, we have more work ahead of us; competition is more intense, as other teams have more depth and more swimmers,” Lara said.  “With that in mind, I believe my team has the talent and will to succeed.  In addition, our coaches have been unrelenting to position us in that direction.”

   Senior team captain Ryanne Daily could not agree more with Lara.

   “I definitely think that the girls will take state again,” she said.

  With the girls sporting a perfect season record, the facts support her prediction.

  “We have won every meet this year, without anyone ever getting within 100 points of our score,” Daily said.

   Both members of the team are confident that this season will come to a close with just as much of a powerful ending as they have seen in the past, if not better.

  “There is always the aspect of lessons learned from past years, in which we build our team and strategy,” Lara said.  “We remain strong, in order to be a top contender at state.”

  The team conquered the competition at the Missoula Invite on Jan. 23, both boys and girls taking first place.

  The cross-town battle will commence at the Great Falls High pool Feb. 2 at 6 p.m.

  Tagged as: earl lara, emily, emily peterson, final season, peterson, season, Sports, swimming, winter, winter sports
  
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