Bob Smartt is certainly that.
So when faced with the unenviable task of guiding his Fairview swimming team to victory over Neptune’s very own Cherry Creek aquatics machine, Smartt has gone to great lengths.
Try Florida and Russia.
The Florida trip came in November when 41 of the 87 brave Knights went for some team bonding and intense, two-a-day training at the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale. There the girls swam in the outdoor, 50-meter oceanfront pool and enjoyed what Smartt considers a “defining element of this team.”
The trip to Russia came over the Internet, where Smartt is in his second season of using a complex training regimen originally created by a team of scientists from the former Soviet Union.
Will it be enough to topple the always-favored Bruins, who have won the past three Class 5A state titles and 22 of the 33 championships since the team title was first contested in 1974?
Smartt and the Knights will find out Friday at the 5A swimming and diving championships at the Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins.
“Only two teams bring home a trophy, and it would be nice to bring home a trophy,” said Smartt, who is in his eighth season at Fairview. “That will be real mystery of the meet: Who will be second?”
Second place has gone to the Knights for the past three seasons. Fairview, however, is the last team to beat Cherry Creek when it won its only team title in the sport in 2004.
“You always have to go in with optimism and thinking maybe you can win this year. If everyone performs really well, something good could come out,” said Fairview sophomore Lauren Rigg, who recently made the spring junior national cut in the 200 butterfly at a race in Texas.
Fairview senior Sophie Lucas has the state’s top time so far in the 100 butterfly and is fifth-fastest in the 50 freestyle. Rigg has the third-best time in the 100 butterfly and Mikella Zgliczynska and Julie Anderson are fifth and eighth, respectively, in the 500 freestyle.
The Knights, who have nine non-club swimmers who have qualified for state, are right in the thick of things in the all-important relay events, which yield double points. Fairview is No. 2 in the 200 medley relay (behind Cherry Creek) and 400 freestyle relay (behind Boulder) and has the third-best time in the 200 freestyle relay (behind Cherry Creek and Boulder).
“It’s easy for us to get motivated, especially with a team like Cherry Creek,” Lucas said. “They’re such good competition and they motivate us to push ourselves better.”
In preparation, Smartt has been refining strokes down the stretch while tapering his team with a more scientific approach.
“It’s all about what you do in practice,” Smartt said.
Swimming, diving
At Edora Pool Ice Center, Fort Collins
Today
5A swimming preliminaries, 4 p.m.
Friday
4A swimming preliminaries, 9 a.m.
5A diving preliminaries, noon
5A diving and swimming finals, 5 p.m.
Saturday
4A diving preliminaries, 10:30 a.m.
4A diving and swimming finals, 3:30 p.m.
STATE SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Note: Top eight times in each event heading to this weekend’s state tournament in Fort Collins.
CLASS 5A
200-yard medley relay
Cherry Creek1:50.91
Fairview1:50.98
Boulder1:51.18
Monarch1:51.81
Mountain Vista1:52.04
Fort Collins1:52.04
Regis1:53.40
Grandview1:53.78
200 free
Cromer, Lewis-Palmer1:53.90
Mattern, Cherry Creek1:56.16
Cox, Dakota Ridge1:57.35
Glassner, Chatfield1:58.12
Swanson, Regis1:58.54
Zgliczynska, Fairview1:58.58
Barry, Palmer1:58.96
Best, Boulder1:59.25
200 IM
Naze, Cherry Creek2:10.47
Dougherty, Monarch2:11.22
Newell, Arapahoe2:12.25
Piehl, Smoky Hill2:12.27
Kimminau, Cherry Creek2:13.61
Morris, Eaglecrest2:13.61
Clarke, Rampart2:13.73
Williams, Grandview2:13.79
50 free
Gregoire, Rampart24.39
Perkins, Chatfield24.61
Schmid, Regis24.62
Nelson, Fort Collins24.70
Lucas, Fairview24.82
Dahlquist, Mountain Vista24.86
Slouka, Heritage25.00
Labozan, Monarch25.00
100 butterfly
Lucas, Fairview58.58
Martens, Grandview59.12
Rigg, Fairview59.17
Oster, Cherry Creek59.26
Mathias, Ponderosa59.60
Todd, Regis1:00.10
Zeberlein, Mountain Vista1:00.52
Stone, Wheat Ridge1:00.70
100 free
Allen, Boulder52.92
Gregoire, Rampart53.20
Perkins, Chatfield53.25
Dahlquist, Mountain Vista53.39
Cromer, Lewis-Palmer43.48
Piehl, Smoky Hill54.03
Nelson, Fort Collins54.04
Mattern, Cherry Creek54.17
500 free
Best, Boulder5:10.98
Martens, Grandview5:12.27
Brandon, Cherry Creek5:12.42
Swanson, Regis5:14.16
Zgliczynska, Fairview5:14.20
Culver, Green Mountain5:15.24
Glassner, Chatfield5:15.49
Anderson, Fairview5:17.28
200 free relay
Boulder1:39.04
Cherry Creek1:39.71
Fairview1:41.08
Fort Collins1:41.40
Grandview1:41.54
Arapahoe1:41.56
Chatfield1:41.58
Rampart1:42.22
100 backstroke
Allen, Boulder57.65
Fuller, Brighton57.85
Garvey, ThunderRidge58.73
Zeberlein, Mountain Vista58.95
Tyler, Fort Collins59.64
Stone, Wheat Ridge1:00.28
Oster, Cherry Creek1:00.44
Kimminau, Cherry Creek1:00.44
100 breaststroke
Kuhr, Dakota Ridge1:06.30
Dougherty, Monarch1:06.95
Wixted, Cherry Creek1:08.03
Naze, Cherry Creek1:08.14
Mathews, East1:08.23
Clarke, Rampart1:08.33
Rathbone, Lakewood1:08.49
Fletcher, Monarch1:08.96
400 free relay
Boulder3:37.45
Fairview3:38.17
Cherry Creek3:38.74
Regis3:40.27
Chatfield3:40.35
Rampart3:40.94
Grandview3:42.41
Mountain Vista3:42.49
CLASS 4A
200 medley relay
Rock Canyon1:50.12
Ralston Valley1:51.43
Estes Park1:52.05
Niwot1:52.81
La Junta1:54.70
Windsor1:54.70
Thompson Valley1:55.89
Greeley Central1:57.06
200 free
Holley, Rock Canyon1:55.62
Shea, Mullen1:55.68
Garlie, Fossil Ridge1:56.42
Milberg, Rock Canyon1:56.90
Fischer, Ralston Valley1:57.95
Cook, Mountain Range1:58.78
Queen, Windsor1:59.10
Smith, D’Evelyn1:59.99
200 IM
Johnson, Ralston Valley2:07.50
Lujan, Ralston Valley2:08.78
Dobie, Broomfield2:11.23
Bergquist, Thompson Valley2:12.78
Badaracco, Platte Canyon2:13.72
Wolfrum, Skyline2:14.56
Craig, South2:15.38
Willoughby, Ftn.-Ft. Carson2:15.59
50 free
Conci, Moffat County24.34
Hewson, Estes Park24.96
Schemahorn, La Junta25.03
Grove, Glenwood Springs25.07
Riggle, Eaton25.09
Almond, Estes Park25.22
Maciejko, Gunnison25.22
Banning, Silver Creek25.30
100 butterfly
Curado, Rock Canyon57.70
Lujan, Ralston Valley58.42
Snyder, Ralston Valley59.21
Badaracco, Platte Canyon59.61
Valdez, Greeley Central59.92
Dobie, Broomfield59.94
Krall, Pueblo Centennial1:00.05
Stucky, Montrose1:00.07
100 freestyle
Hewson, Estes Park53.68
Shea, Mullen53.85
Holley, Rock Canyon54.11
Atoe, Rock Canyon54.60
Grove, Glenwood Springs54.66
Maciejko, Gunnison54.75
Quick, Ralston Valley54.76
Schemahorn, La Junta54.95
500 free
Johnson, Ralston Valley5:06.94
Cook, Mountain Range5:08.66
Garlie, Fossil Ridge5:09.95
Fischer, Ralston Valley5:16.76
Krall, Pueblo Centennial5:17.97
Pappas, Ralston Valley5:19.09
Queen, Windsor5:21.21
Moss, Thompson Valley5:24.22
200 free relay
Rock Canyon1:41.18
Ralston Valley1:42.69
La Junta1:43.59
Niwot1:43.77
Mullen1:43.85
Estes Park1:44.31
Thompson Valley1:44.71
D’Evelyn1:45.04
100 backstroke
Milberg, Rock Canyon58.70
Atoe, Rock Canyon59.64
Conci, Moffat County59.70
Quick, Ralston Valley1:00.18
Norlin, Windsor1:01.30
Bergquist, Thompson Valley1:01.35
Valdez, Greeley Central1:01.36
Rhue, Cheyenne Mountain1:01.75
100 breaststroke
Hewson, Estes Park1:05.61
Clawson, Rock Canyon1:07.95
Gleason, La Junta1:08.31
Scott, Windsor1:08.62
Dobie, Broomfield1:09.01
Wedel, Pueblo South1:09.13
Riggle, Eaton1:09.22
Phelps, Cherokee Trail1:09.30
400 free relay
Rock Canyon3:37.90
Ralston Valley3:38.80
La Junta3:44.31
Estes Park3:45.40
Thompson Valley3:45.40
Montrose3:49.64
Cheyenne Mountain3:50.22
Fossil Ridge3:50.24
