Butterfly effect - Seymour Tribune

December 23, 2014

For the Tribune

High school athletes have their reasons for liking certain sports, and Seymour’s Lauren Findley enjoys swimming because of her teammates.

“I like swimming because I can be with my friends, and it’s a good physical activity,” Findley said. “I like to come after school, just relax and get some exercise in.”

Findley’s main event her freshman year at Seymour was the butterfly. She has continued to swim the fly throughout her career. The senior also has added the individual medley, plus she swims the fly in the medley relay.

“I would rather do individual events,” Findley said. “My favorite event is the fly.”

Findley’s career-best time is 1:15, and she is hoping to drop to 1:11 or below this season.

“I like feeling powerful,” she said about swimming the fly. “It makes you feel you’re going real fast. I used to swim the breaststroke a lot, and when I got to high school my shoulders got bigger, so I started swimming the fly.”

There are a number of keys to dropping times.

“Proper technique, weightlifting and stuff like that,” Findley said. “The start is very important (to any race). You have to have the right mindset when you dive in from the time you get off the blocks. Turns are very important.”

Since Findley swims

the first event, the medley

relay, she said warm ups are very important.

“You have to have a good mindset when doing that, too, before you get in the water,” she said.

The swim teams work out three mornings a week, beginning at 6 a.m., plus practice four days a week after school.

The girls do weights Monday mornings, and the boys do P90X training. The teams switch Wednesdays, and both teams work in the water Friday mornings.

“You really have to be dedicated,” Findley said. “Monday mornings are a little harder because Sunday nights I stay up later getting homework done.”

Findley estimates the athletes swim an average of 4,000 yards during a normal practice, but they swim more some practices and less on other days.

All swimmers complete a mile during the annual New Year’s Eve practice.

She said she enjoys the dual meets.

“I like the dual meets because you see people from year-to-year that you know from other schools,” Findley said. “The ‘S’ Invitational is usually a pretty good meet because you don’t get to see those people very often. We get to choose our events for that meet.”

Findley has reached the sectional finals in both the butterfly and individual medley in the past, and she is hoping to become

a sectional champion

this season.

“My goals are to reach the finals again and swim on (the final) Saturday,” Findley said. “I’ve been working on my fly technique really hard. My best time in the IM is 2:46, and I’m hoping to get to 2:40.”

Swimming has been a part of Findley’s life since the third grade, when she was 8 years old. She found swimming an alternative

to dancing.

She said the mental part of all sports is important.

“You can train the right way, but if you don’t have the right mental attitude, you won’t get very far with it,” Findley said.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”In the pool” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Parents: Joe and Valerie Findley

Sports: Swimming, four years

Athletic highlights: Advanced to sectional finals

Schedule: “I really like the boy-girl events. I really like the conference and sectional because that is when you drop your time.”

Favorite away pool: Floyd Central

Plans after high school: Attend Purdue, study food science

Attending SHS: “I like Seymour. I like coming here every day and seeing all my friends because most of the people in my classes are my friends. I have a good time.”

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