'Depth Impact' at RHS

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

Listen for coach Don Brinkman’s shrill whistle and see what happens.
If you’re on the pool deck, you should see a slight acceleration of the swimmer in the water as he hears the sound and understands its signal: go faster.

On Friday morning, the Outlaw swimmers head to Buffalo for the conference championship, seemingly the most important meet of the year. The Rawlins High School boys are scheduled to come out ahead of the pack — and it will be a tight pack — to take the conference championship for the sixth year running.

With preliminaries at 5 p.m. Friday and finals on Saturday starting at 11 a.m., the team has a lot to look forward to. Brinkman knows his team has depth, so while his boys are mostly seeded fourth to ninth in their respective events, they should earn the points necessary to leave Buffalo as champions.

“If they do what I hope they will,” Brinkman said, “we’ll come out ahead.” He thinks the team will be mostly competitive with Buffalo, but Douglas and Worland should also give Rawlins a run for its money. Newcastle has top swimmers, but little depth.

Outlaw senior Ryan Palmer has the most at stake as the defending conference diving champion. He set the Rawlins pool record last year with a 475.45, leaping to the top of the top 10 board. He knocked off the previous record-holder with a score almost 30 points higher.

This year, Palmer’s highest score is 435, but that still puts him in the No. 1 seed in the conference with Buffalo’s Ryan Iannelli trailing in second with 358 points. How will he keep his title? “I listen to music and really focus,” he said. “I try not to pay attention to what the other divers are doing.”

Palmer is also vying for a first-place medal in the 50-yard freestyle. With his best time of 24.72, he contends again with Iannelli, who swims the event in 24.43 seconds. Palmer is also up against Garrett Anderson from Worland, who has finished the event in 24.57 seconds.

Palmer and the other four seniors lead the team into what Daniel DeMillard claimed is probably a bigger meet than the state competition. “I’m really excited,” he said. “It’s bigger because this one we can probably win.” This year, however, the team goes in without stars who graduated last year. Which means the team should depend on its numbers more than its speed.

DeMillard has qualified for the state meet in more events than he can physically swim. So, he is not looking for qualifying times this weekend, but he does hope to finish among the top three in his individual events, the 200 individual medley and the 100 freestyle.

According to Brinkman’s seeding estimates, the feat is possible, as DeMillard is seeded fifth and third, respectively, in the events. DeMillard also hopes to garner all-conference honors, a title earned by finishing high in each of a swimmer’s events.

On the flip side, David Trujillo, another senior, aims to shave 1.25 seconds trimmed off his 100-yard breaststroke time this weekend to qualify for state. He has already qualified in the 100-yard backstroke. In meets, the two events are swum back-to-back. Which will he choose in the state competition? “I’ll qualify in the breaststroke this weekend, so both,” he said. He also aims to finish in the top three for the 200-yard individual medley, an event for which he is seeded eighth.

Jason Sipes, another Outlaw senior, is pushing for a qualifying time in the 100-yard breaststroke. He must shave two to three seconds off his time to do so. “I wish I’d joined the team sooner,” Sipes said. He has been on the team since his junior year and pointed out that he is the only senior this year to not yet qualify in any state events. “I joined last year to get in shape for track, but this year I’m focusing more on swimming.”

Sipes has reaped the benefits of a welcoming youth pastor who recently provided a stable home for the high school senior. The change has allowed him to fully pursue three seasons of sports. Though he’s dedicated to swimming this year, “the second it’s over, it’s all about track,” he said.

James Laux supports the senior set through his experience. The only year-round swimmer on the team, Laux has been swimming since age 5. And he’s not bored yet. “It’s just my sport,” he said.

Entered in the 200 -yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly, Laux also helps his teammates by swimming backstroke in the medley relay. He has butterflies for the butterfly, in which he is seeded fifth, but hopes they’re be gone by Friday night.

Each senior emphatically agreed that this meet would be a tough fight. With middle-of-the-pack seeding, they should be pushed less by the adrenaline of a neck-and-neck race for first and more by their mental strength to earn points.