BEACON FALLS — With a third of the meets in the books, the Woodland boys swim team has reached the point of the season that’s a balancing act.
“They’re doing good — swimming hard, upping the ante,” Woodland head coach Tom Currier said. “Now it’s a fine battle of making the workouts harder without beating them up too much.”
Currier is increasing the intensity in practice as the Hawks focus on their ultimate goals of getting in shape and faster for the NVL and state championship meets. For the Hawks — a smaller team that typically goes up against larger squads with year-round swimmers — dual meets are more a measuring stick to make sure they are headed in the right direction, not necessarily about wins and losses.
Woodland dropped to 1-3 in dual meets last week following losses to Torrington, 90-78, on Jan. 4 and to Seymour, 89-78, on Jan. 6. What the final results don’t show, Currier said, is that the Hawks are close to their best in-season times or have surpassed those times in some cases.
Riley Clark is the only Hawk thus far to secure his spot in the Class S state meet and has qualified for the diving event. Several others are knocking on the door, Currier said.
Greg Aldrich in the 100 breaststroke, Colin Kennelly in the 50 and 100 freestyle, and Jake Stow in the 100 backstroke and butterfly are all on the precipice of qualifying for states, Currier said.
“Those three are definitely the troopers in the pool, working hard and putting it all together,” Currier said.
Chase Chura is nearing his best times as well, added Currier, who described the junior as a “workhorse.”
The Hawks got a boost last week from senior Julie Hinckley and freshman Zacary Bertrand.
Hinckley missed the first two meets but returned to action against Torrington and Seymour.
“She’s a leader by example,” Currier said. “She’s definitely a role model on how they should be working in the pool.”
Bertrand stepped up in the meet versus Seymour after Aldrich was injured, Currier said. He was thrust into the middle lane for the breaststroke, Currier said, and didn’t skip a beat.
“A lot of freshmen sometimes get a little worried,” Currier said. “He just took it in stride.”
Woodland will host Kennedy on Friday before traveling to Naugatuck on Jan. 17 to face the Greyhounds.
As the season progresses, Currier said he’s looking for the Hawks to keep doing what they’re doing.
“They’re doing everything I’m asking,” he said. “These kids are definitely a pleasure to work with.”
