Raymond Improves

Springdale Senior Makes Big Strides In Pool

Dillan Raymond, a Springdale High senior, works out Tuesday at the Jones Center in Springdale. Raymond competes in the 100-freestyle and 100-fly events.

Dillan Raymond, a Springdale High senior, works out Tuesday at the Jones Center in Springdale. Raymond competes in the 100-freestyle and 100-fly events.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

— As soon as Dillon Raymond was done practicing Tuesday afternoon, he got out of the pool, changed his clothes and began his shift at his part-time job.

Who knew the lifeguard at The Jones Center is such a fast swimmer?

Raymond had never competed in swimming until two years ago when he was a sophomore at Springdale High. He had watched Michael Phelps win a drawer full of gold medals in the Summer Olympics, and he felt like giving the sport a try.

“I had no idea how hard swimming was,” Raymond said. “I didn’t know anything about it.”

Since then, Raymond has shaved an impressive 11 seconds off his time in the 100-yard freestyle, going from 1 minute, 6 seconds as a sophomore to 58 seconds during his junior season to now 55 seconds as a senior.

Springdale coach Matt Hervey said he has been surprised by Raymond’s development from a newcomer to a senior leader who’s only a “snap of the finger” away from qualifying for the Arkansas High School Swimming and Diving State Championship Meet.

Raymond’s time of 55 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle is less than one second off the state qualifying mark of 54.01 seconds. The 6-foot, 155-pound senior admitted his goal is to get his time down to 52 seconds before the end of the season, which he’s confident he can do.

“For him to improve himself the way that he has is incredible,” Hervey said. “I mean, these guys here are happy to drop tenths of a second and he’s dropping whole seconds.”

Raymond also competes in the 100-yard butterfly, but he’ll be limited to just the 50- and 100-yard freestyles today at the Fayetteville Holiday Invitational.

Raymond had never taken part in competitive swimming before his sophomore year, and his experience consisted mostly of playing around in the pool. However, once he joined Springdale’s team out of curiosity, he changed his diet and started working out at nights.

Raymond quit eating junk food and candy, and he stopped drinking sodas. Hervey helped show Raymond some of the basics of the sport, and his times began to drop once he improved his starts and flip turns.

“I just wasn’t trying my hardest at first. I didn’t realize pushing off as hard as you can and getting streamline, it really helps out,” Raymond said. “I just didn’t know that.”

By the middle of last season, Hervey said Raymond began to show his dedication. He discovered that he was actually good at swimming, earning a spot on Springdale’s 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams at the state meet.

Hervey said Raymond was a regular in the pool this past summer, adding that it would have taken a good reason for the senior to miss a team workout.

“As he started seeing his times dropping, it’s one of those things he starts believing them. Now he believes it,” Hervey said. “He’s a very talented swimmer.”

And a part-time lifeguard.

Springdale High Swim Schedule

Date Opponent Time

Today Fayetteville Holiday Invitational# 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 14 Siloam Springs Invitational% 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 26 Hendrix Invitational 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 31 Bentonville Invitational# TBD

Feb. 7 Springdale Har-Ber Invitational# 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 District Diving Championship% 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 District Swimming Championship# 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 22-23 State Diving Championship at UALR TBD

"#" at Jones Center for Families, Springdale

"%" at John Brown University