Snyder breaks through to state

NORWALK — Lincoln Snyder just wanted to stay in shape. The Norwalk High School junior decided to give swimming a try during his freshman season two years ago because his friend, Skylar Cross, got him into the idea. "I originally did it for conditioning and staying in shape," Snyder said. "And I just kind of fell in love with it and really learned how to swim those first two years. And now, here I am." On Tuesday, "here" was standing in front of the NHS student body as the school's first state qualifier in swimming in 12 years. Snyder will compete in the Division II state championships after 5 p.m. Thursday in the 100-yard butterfly at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton. Snyder earned one of the 32 spots in the race by placing eighth at the BGSU district meet with a time of 55.5 seconds on Feb. 20. "All year, I just had this goal in mind," Snyder said. "When I found out, it was hard to believe, even though you knew it was happening. It's a feeling I've never felt before." Norwalk head coach Nikki Cross noted Snyder began dropping significant time and getting stronger in the race about a month ago. She started to taper Snyder in preparation for the district meet. Tapering is the process of reducing a swimmer's training volume in distance while maintaining, or sometimes increasing, race-specific training in the final weeks before a big race. The process typically spans about two or three weeks to allow the body to recover from previous fatigue. "With Lincoln ranked in the middle of the pack, I wanted to make sure to change things up for him," Cross said. "As we continued down with the taper, he started dropping more times from our regular season meets. When we got to the sectional at Oak Harbor, he dropped three seconds, which is a lot in a 100-yard race. "Lincoln showed a lot with what he could do with the recovery and taper, and midseason he definitely started showing that persistence and working harder in the pool," she added. "You could see in him that the end of the season was near and how he could make it to state." At the Sandusky Bay Conference championship meet on Jan. 10 at Perkins High School, Snyder swam the race in 58.66 seconds to place second. It was a new personal best at the time, which is now a distant memory just over a month later. Snyder swam the butterfly in 56.4 seconds to place third at the sectional meet on Feb. 14. "I hit a goal that I wanted to hit at the SBC meet, and at sectionals I dropped more time," Snyder said. "So once I got to the district, I realized it was definitely possible, so I went out and got it." Cross said Snyder has worked hard to perfect his technique, which is a big part of swimming. "Then it's just little things like not breathing too much, turns at the walls, and strong finishes, and he has been able to capture all of that," she said. "That has all helped Lincoln considerably. "He's just very strong in that event, but he's done that intentionally throughout the season. I think that's helped him to be a strong competitor." Cross said Snyder being the first state swimmer in 12 years created a big gap in youths having something or someone to look up to and chase after. Snyder is now a fresh face as a state qualifier for the program. "I think it's a wonderful opportunity for kids to start considering swimming as a sport," she said. "They now have someone they can look up to already, a high school student that worked hard and made it happen. Lincoln set a goal, which we can point out to younger students, that if you set it, you can do this. "My hope is it will build the program and create more of an opportunity for kids that don't necessarily fit in with the other sports," Cross added. "Lincoln will be someone they will be challenged to beat. You set that standard. And, he's only one second off the school record in the fly, so he may also have that mark for future generations to push themselves and try and achieve." Snyder said being the first state qualifier in over a decade isn't lost on him. "It means a lot to me; it means everything really," he said. "I've wanted to make my mark at Norwalk for a while, and this is the first step in doing that. "I'm hoping to set a school record and make my mark there as well."