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Experience gets Boardman’s Bailey to district
By Ryan buck
BOARDMAN
Boardman High swimmer Brooke Bailey already knew her race-day routine down to the minute even days before the biggest meet of her season.
The playlist for the bus ride to Cleveland for the Division I and II District Swimming and Diving Championships has been set. The stick-on tattoos she and her teammates plan to wear are already packed.
The Canfield High swim team has its own ritual. An annual mini-photo shoot atop the 1-meter diving boards inside Youngstown State’s Beeghly Natatorium has become tradition, with fake mustaches introduced this year.
Bailey and the Spartans, along with a Canfield squad featuring an 11-0 boys team, are two of the area’s best hopes headed into the district meet held today through Saturday at Cleveland State’s Busbey Natatorium.
Boardman and Warren Harding will send their boys and girls teams to the Division I meet. Canfield’s girls will be placed in Division I and the boys in Division II with other area competitors from Howland, Hubbard, Poland and Youngstown Christian. The Division II girls qualifiers feature standouts from Cardinal Mooney, Hubbard, Poland and Youngstown Christian.
Bailey, a junior, is making her third appearance at the district meet. She will compete in the 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle.
If experience is the best teacher, a role model is right behind it.
For Bailey, it has always been her older brother Ryan, a standout swimmer at Boardman who is now a freshman competing for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
After a state title in the 100 butterfly as a senior and three straight all-state selections, his departure left a large void for the Spartans. His younger sister says she has done her best to fill it.
“Not having him around for this year was definitely a culture shock for me,” Bailey said by phone while on a break from math homework. “I watched him and saw how he was a leader for so long, but it’s something Ryan and I talked about. I had some responsibility to help lead because of my experience.”
Thirteen Spartans will either swim or dive in Cleveland.
Like Bailey, the Canfield boys team enters the district meet with lots of experience on its side. Senior captains Daniel Bogan and Drew Bennett lead a host of Cardinals with multiple appearances there. Canfield finished fifth in the district meet a year ago.
Bogan, a sprint freestyle specialist, says chemistry was a key in the boys’ undefeated season, in addition to an environment set on effort.
“I think we have a bunch of hard-working kids,” Bogan said of the Northeast Aquatic Conference and All-American Conference winners. “The work we’ve put in is reflected in our depth and how we perform in our meets. All year we’ve been working and we’re at the point where that hard work is paying off.”
Bennett, who will compete in the 200 and 500 freestyle events, says experience will be pivotal.
“It always helps when you’ve been around a couple of years,” Bennett said. “You kind of know what to expect so you don’t really have to worry about nerves and you can focus on what you need to get done.”
The top finishers at the district meet will compete Feb. 19-22 at Branin Natatorium in Canton.