Chris Raymond didn’t plan on winning the 200 freestyle. The Coe-Brown swimmer was focused on taking first in the 500. He figured he could use the 200 as a nice warm-up to find his groove and be ready for the longer race that followed.
“But towards the end, I just figured, you know, why not just go for it? So I just kind of tried to just pick up the pace and go as fast as I could. When I saw the board, I was pretty happy with the time and the place overall.”
The time was 1:53.70. The place was first. Raymond won by almost two seconds. A few minutes and 500 yards later he won again. Turns out winning the 200 is a great warmup for the 500. Raymond left the D-II state championships with nothing but gold. And now he’s leaving his sophomore season with the Concord Monitor’s Boys’ Swimming Athlete of the Season award as well.
That 200 freestyle was indicative of Raymond’s season as a whole.
“I felt like the season started off a little bit slow but then picked up towards the end,” said Raymond.
The happy ending was the product of his complete dedication to the sport. The swimmer went over his in-season routine and to describe it as daunting would be an understatement.
“During the high school season I was doing two high school practices and then nine club practices a week,” said Raymond. “So I usually do about nine to 10 swims per week. And then on top of that, two to three of those (practices) we have dry-lands, which is pretty much just like weightlifting and running and push-ups and stuff to try to build up your strength in the water.”
You’d be forgiven if you got exhausted just reading that. The level of intensity Raymond trains at is reminiscent of pro athletes, not high schoolers. But the sophomore is uniquely equipped to handle the burden of his training. Swimming is a team sport, but at the same time, it is deeply individual. Once submerged in the water swimmers are in their own world. Outside noise is muted by the water. Each athlete, divided in their own lane, isn’t so much racing the other swimmers, but themselves. The sport tasks each competitor to test their absolute limits.
“Obviously, you have to be strong and the technique is very important as well,” said Raymond while discussing the mental side of the sport. “But I think one of the most important things too, is your mindset going to the races. If you’re not mentally prepared, you can fall apart a lot more quickly than other people and I think that’s what’s helped me.”
The physical strain and mental endurance can be taxing. Raymond said he knows that burnout is a looming threat for him as it is for most athletes.
“I focus on it a little bit. Right now I’m on a little break. I have two weeks off and I’m trying to take it easy. I’m doing a little work here and there but really am trying to focus on relaxing and rebuilding for this next summer season. So I don’t end up burning out like a bunch of other people.”
Raymond won’t take it too easy though. He plans on defending his two state titles and said he looks forward to the challenge. As he enters the second half of high school, Raymond is already looking beyond primary school in hopes of a collegiate career.
“I’m going to definitely try to swim in college. I would love to continue my academic and sports (career) going into college. That’s a goal of mine.”
Raymond ended with a shout-out to his coaches and his parents. The latter of whom have to drive him to all those practices.