ROGERS — Rogers Heritage’s Ian Pusey can just relax and concentrate on competing at the North District Championships on Wednesday.
He swam a time of 1 minute, 8.32 seconds in his specialty, the 100-yard breaststroke, at a meet last week at The Jones Center in Springdale. His mark surpassed the state qualifying standard of 1:08.5 by less than two-tenths of a second.
Pusey had been chasing the time for awhile and missed it by .21 seconds only a week earlier at the same pool.
The soft-spoken youngster didn’t do much celebrating, though, Heritage swimming coach Julie Sakalares said.
Profile
Ian Pusey
School: Rogers Heritage
Height: 5-1
Weight: 115
Class: Freshman
Notable: Earned state qualifying time in the 100-yard breaststroke last week at The Jones Center pool in Springdale. ... Has a personal-best time of 1 minute, 8.12 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke. ... Attended Benton County School of the Arts from grades 4-8 before attending Rogers Heritage this year. ... Swims year-round for the Springdale-based Razorback Aquatic Club.
“He was happy, smiling and I gave him a big hug,” Sakalares said. “You could tell he was happy, but he had to get right back in the pool to swim on a relay.”
Sakalares said it’s exciting to watch Pusey since he’s only been swimming competitively for about a year and a half.
“He gets faster and faster almost every time he swims,” Sakalares said.
It’s also big since he has a natural talent for the breaststroke, said Sakalares, who swam collegiately at Georgia.
“He’s got the power and flexibility to kick strong,” Sakalares said. “The typical breaststroker short legs and a longer upper body and are able to whip those legs around quickly. I hated the breaststroke. He’s a natural breaststroker.”
The 5-foot-2 Pusey may be at a disadvantage on the start, but Sakalares said his lack of size can be a positive.
“Obviously, you don’t get out as far at the start, but you can get in and off walls quicker,” Sakalares said.
Pusey started swimming competitively with the Springdale-based Razorback Aquatic Club around August 2011. But he just joined the Heritage team this school year.
RAC coach Scotty Berry said Pusey is hard-working and still has plenty of room to improve despite his success.
“It’s still pretty new to him and he’s still learning so much all the time,” Berry said. “He’s still pretty young physically. He’s a small guy and over time going to continue to improve more and more.
“As much as he’s improved, he still has lot of room for continued improvement.”
Berry also pointed out Pusey knew he could swim the time needed to qualify for the state meet since he swam even faster (1:08.12) for his team three weeks ago at Arkansas.
“He just had to do it at a high school meet,” Berry said. “He knew he had it in him.”
Pusey admitted he’s surprised himself a bit. He was swimming 1:15 in the event in December.
“In just a couple of months, I dropped it down to a 1:08,” Pusey said. “It’s just from being in the pool so much, practice, practice, practice.”
Swimming is Pusey’s lone extracurricular activity after trying wrestling and finding it not for him. But joining the swim team at Heritage has helped him make friends after attending Benton County School of the Arts since fourth grade.
"It helped because I didn't know many people," Pusey said. "It helped me make friends and meet people."