For The Tribune
BROWNSTOWN
Members of the Brownstown Brave Wave swim team are right on schedule as far as making progress leading up to the season-ending South Central Indiana Swim Conference meet.
“It has been a good season so far. The kids are working hard and having fun,” said Robb Reynolds, head coach of the Brave Wave.
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This year’s squad features nearly 60 boys and girls.
“It’s a little bit lower than a few years ago, but we’re building back up, and they’re performing very nicely,” Reynolds said. “We look pretty good all the way across the board with boys and girls. The kids don’t always swim the same events. They like to try different events. Some meets, we might only end up with one boy in an event.”
The Brave Wave is 3-0 in dual meets this summer. Their meet against Mitchell and Scott County on Tuesday at the Brownstown Pool was suspended after 35 events because of the weather.
The Brave Wave will swim at Bedford on Tuesday night before hosting the conference meet July 11.
Reynolds said Bedford swims longer events than his team normally does.
“We got invited to swim at Bedford,” he said. “They are actually a USA year-round swimming program. Most of our kids don’t swim year-round. They get to see what it’s like to swim year-round and what kind of events they do. Several of our kids, after swimming that meet, have taken on the year-round program through either Bedford or Seymour.”
Jayden Brown, who competes in the 11-12 boys division, said he likes swimming all four events — freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke — and combining them in the individual medley.
“My favorite event is the breaststroke,” he said. “I like the 100 free. On the first two (lengths), I go about medium, and then the last two, I go full-speed. I’ve won it two times this season.”
Brown also competes in relays, and he said he likes those because it’s with his teammates.
This is his second year with the Brave Wave.
“I took swim lessons just to get in the water. I already knew how to swim,” Jayden said. “The coach asked me if I’d like to join the swim team, and I said I would try it. I got on the team, and I like it.”
Caitlin Howell, who swims in the girls 9-10 division, focuses on freestyle and backstroke individually and also does the medley relay. She said her favorite event is backstroke.
“It tires me out,” she said. “I like the relay. I like being in the water.”
Audrey Scarlett also swims in the girls 9-10 age group. The second-year team member said she likes swimming all four strokes.
“I like swimming the individual medley,” she said. “The breaststroke is my favorite. I really like that, but I really like the relays.”
Dylan Minton, 11, swims backstroke and freestyle. He said he swims the 100 freestyle in most of the meets, and he gets tired at the end of that race.
This is Dylan’s third year on the team, and he said he is ready to swim in the conference meet.
“I’m looking forward to the conference meet,” he said. “I would like to do freestyle and backstroke like I always do.”