Anderson keeps seeking improvement
Swimmer is one of Brainerd's best
Competitive swimmers strive to spend most of their time above the surface of the water. The less the resistance, the faster a swimmer swims.
Jared Anderson swims about as fast as any sophomore in Minnesota but it's his underwater time that he says needs work, especially in the 200-yard individual medley.
Anderson is working on his underwater dolphin kick, as well as pullouts to get ahead of the competition.
An underwater dolphin kick is used in the butterfly. When swimmers make the turn at the end of the pool, they kick off the wall. If they're under water it's faster than actually swimming on top of the water. The only problem is they run out of air quickly.
Jared Anderson is one of the fastest sophomore swimmers in the state
When a swimmer turns on the breaststroke they are allowed one underwater pullout before they have to be up and swimming their full stroke.
Anderson must be getting the hang of both maneuvers. Through five dual meets and two invitationals he has amassed a team-high 278 points, 11 individual wins and has been on seven first-place relays.
"So far my times have been pretty good," Anderson said. "I'm happy with them but I do better with someone next to me, pushing me."
Few swimmers could push Anderson in the bronze division of last weekend's Maroon and Gold Invitational at the University of Minnesota. He won the 200 individual medley (2:09.40) and the 100 breaststroke (1:03.30).
"The U of M is such a fast pool," Anderson said. "I felt I could get some time drops. I had been working on my underwater dolphin kicks and pullouts going into the meet, especially in the 200 IM, you use an underwater kick to get a lead.
"I've been swimming the 100 breast quite a bit now. Usually, I get tired about halfway through. In that race I didn't get tired until about three-quarters of the way."
Jared Anderson
Sport: Swimming
Events: 200 IM, 100 breast, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay
Year: Sophomore
Age: 16
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 155 pounds
Other sports: Tennis
Memorable sports achievement: Finishing eighth in Class 2A state breaststroke in 2006
Grade-point average: 4.0
Favorite subject: German
Favorite food: Belgian waffles
Favorite TV show: "The Office"
Hobbies: Hiking,
waterskiing
Future plans: Swim in college
Athlete he admires: Former teammate Nate Tyner, Olympic swimmer Ian Crocker
Parents: Dan and Kathy Anderson
Anderson also swam the breaststroke on the first-place 200 medley relay with Mike Brekken, Mike Ruen and Evan Reese.
Warriors coach John Zemke said Anderson is the epitome of a young man who takes swimming seriously.
"His times are ahead of where he was last year," Zemke said. "He's a real focused kid. He knows what he needs to do. He takes care of himself. He gets the right amount of sleep. He does things that people don't think about that are extremely important, something as important as taking in enough water, eating right, little things that make a difference at the end of the year.
"If we can keep having him dropping time before we taper, before sections, hopefully he can be right there at the end."
Anderson finished eighth in the Class 2A breaststroke last year, earning all-state honors. He also was 15th in the IM and was a member of the 15th-place 200 medley and the 18th-place 400 free relays.
The breaststroke is where Anderson may have the best chance to finish high on the podium. He's not overlooking the regular season but the prospects of reaching the state finals inspire him.
"The top three in the state graduated," Anderson said. "I've been watching times from some other guys. They're fast but I think I can drop a lot of time by the end of the year. State should be wide open. I would like to go for that."
Other notable efforts:
Jess Bye, girls hockey, had a hat trick against River Lakes.
Evan Reese, swimming, won two individual events against Apollo.
Andrew Goll, swimming, won two events against Apollo and two against Fergus Falls.
Kayla Huether, girls basketball, had 21 points against Rocori and 32 against Cloquet.
Alyssa Wiebusch, girls hockey, had two goals and two assists against Grand Rapids.
Scott Padrnos, Tyler Jensen and Nate Rubin, wrestling, won titles at the Cambridge tournament.
Ethan Rudbeck, floor hockey, had a hat trick and two assists against White Bear Lake.
Landon Stanfield, boys basketball, had 25 points against Bemidji.