MILL CREEK
If the Jackson boys swim is rebuilding, then it couldn’t have a better building block than Jimmy Rogers.
In his first four swims of the 2007-08 season, all Rogers did was swim four state cuts in four different events. The only slight disappointment is that some of the times weren’t as fast as Rogers had hoped.
“I started out the season pretty good,” he said. “It’s kind of where I left off last year, so that’s good.”
Rogers is branching out from his usual 200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke, two events in which he advanced to state last season.
Rogers won the 50 and 100 freestyles and posted times of 22.67 seconds and 49.59, respectively, in his first meet of the season against Everett on Dec. 4. Two days later, Rogers posted victories in the 200 individual medley (2:01.83) and 100 backstroke (56.87), the only two Jackson triumphs against Kamiak.
“This is the best Jimmy has ever looked,” Jackson head coach Drew Whorley said. “The stroke technique work that he did in the offseason is paying tremendous dividends. He just exudes confidence right now. I think it’s going to be really fun watching him progress.”
At state, Rogers took sixth in the 200 individual medley in 2:02.17 and he was seventh in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.71.
Rogers will decide later in the season which events he’ll focus on at state, but the 100 backstroke appears to be a strong candidate.
“It seems he can pretty much do everything he wants,” Whorley said. “It’s going to be a great season for him for sure. With that kind of leadership up top, the team is bound to follow suit.”
As for specific individuals, other than Rogers, to watch, Whorley is taking a wait-and-see attitude. The Timberwolves are making progress but still need time to develop.
“We’ve had several kids that got started a little bit late,” Whorley said. “(That) should improve our depth. I think there’s some potential for some of these athletes to emerge as leaders in regards to their ability to score points. But I think it’s going to take a little more work on our part. … The kids have a really good attitude and we’ve got a lot of bodies. We’ve got something to work with.”
About 30 individuals are out for Jackson, which is one of the larger teams in recent memory. Those numbers are posing a challenge since the Wolfpack are sharing their facilities at the West Coast Aquatic Center with Western Conference North Division rival Cascade for the month of December.
Freshman Nick Win has shown the most promising among the newcomers. Win, who comes in with club experience, won the 100 butterfly in Jackson’s season opener against Everett. The other individual wins were Colin Chang in the 100 backstroke and Victor Hoang in the 100 breaststroke.
“We’re waiting for things to shake out,” Whorley said. “A lot of this group is new to the team. We’re trying to figure out where people’s strengths are and where our strengths lie as a team.”
Jackson’s other state returner, Elijah Pleasant, is finishing up his final year of high school and his first year of college with older siblings Josiah and Amber at Harding University in Arkansas.
“We kind of lack experience, but right now we’re just missing a lot of guys due to missed practices,” Rogers said. “When we get those back we’ll be a lot stronger. Since we’re a young team and inexperienced, we’ll continue to get better throughout the season. That’s something to look forward to.”
Rogers decided to swim some different events, such as the sprint freestyles, so that he could help the Timberwolves with their relays. He recently switched to the Stingrays swim club and has spent more time working on the mechanics and technique of his strokes. Rogers saw his sprint technique show a significant improvement.
“I’m working more on sprinting to help out the relays,” Rogers said.
“He’s shown a lot of progress there,” Whorley added.
Whorley likes the competitive fire he’s seen from Rogers, who has been eager to race against the best people.
“He wants to be tested,” Whorley said. “That’s a really exciting thing.”
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