Swift swimming

Amanda Ross, Sports Writer

Terry Laughlin, swimming coach of Total Immersion, once said, “Tapering is often thought of as the key to an entire season’s success.”

Tapering includes the act of wearing layers of clothes during swim practice. This will inevitably make a swimmer feel lighter and faster when they compete in meets.

“Tapering is where we add more drag and decrease time in the pool while practicing to help build up to our last meet,” senior Cedar Rapids Washington swimmer Mitchell Talyat said.

Although tapering is meant to be helpful, there have been instances where it has gone wrong.

“It normally helps us out a lot, but one time my tights ripped during the middle of one of my practices,” junior Cedar Rapids Washington swimmer Ethan Williams said.

Talyat, who swims the 100 and 50 freestyle, believes tapering is helpful, but weird at the same time.

“It honestly feels like I am swimming uphill and like a force is pushing against me,” Talyat said.

Tapering takes weeks of training to fully have one’s body respond and one has to be physically and mentally ready for the work that is required.

“Tapering prepares us a lot by giving us more energy so we can really do good in all of our key meet,” Talyat said.

The use of tapering increases levels of muscular force and power. It helps increase the specialization for an athlete.

“Typically before I tapered, my times were not as good compared to after I tapered. Usually as a result of tapering, I drop a couple seconds off my time,”Talyat said.

When one begins to taper, they need to maintain frequency and keep a routine by doing it for the last two weeks of the season.

“Tapering has helped me have big time drops,” sophomore Cedar Rapids Kennedy swimmer Spencer Kramer said. “It is easier for competing in meets because when we are tapering we have tights on and in the meets we take them off,”

The Varsity Washington High School Boys’ Swim Team competes for the district championship next Saturday, February 8, at a location still to be determined at 12 p.m. The Kennedy High School Varsity Boys’ Swim Team also competes next on Saturday, February 8 at the Linn-Mar Aquatic Center at 12 p.m